Charming China: Guilin-Yanshuo Nature Trip
China – impossibly vast and fascinatingly diverse, is a charming travel destination with its very own cultural heritage and at the same time very much up to date with the modern infrastructure. We started for our trip to Guilin on a rainy day on 23rd May, 2015. The thunderstorm in the Hong Kong morning was only an indication and our tour guide in China informed us that all of the tourist activities are stopped due to the heavy rains in the area and it may spoil our plans. But, the next morning came with a pleasant surprise with no rain at all and a start to an amazing Chinese countryside experience, with lots of memories to cherish.
*Must Visit / Experience* –
- Longji Rice Terraces: Longji means 'Dragon Backed Mountain'. Mountains are famous for their picturesque view throughout different seasons due to a large number of terraced rice fields with an intricate pattern on the hillside. The fields are beautiful all year round, in the early stages when filled with water, and as the rice grows and matures, changing colours as it does so.
- Yao village: Village named after the Yao minorities. Yao women have distinctive clothing and hair styles which set them apart from other ethnic groups. Yao women are famous for having the longest hair in the world. They never cut their hair. Instead they wrap the hair in a bun on top of their head in a style resembling an Indian turban.
- Tea Farms: A visit to the tea farm just outside Guilin city would be a refreshing break on the way to Longji rice terraces. You may view some ancient styles of tea farming and cherish the intricacies of different quality of tea produced. Not to mention, you will be familiarized with the traditional Chinese tea tasting ceremony, absolutely free.
- Liu Sanjie Musical Natural theatre: is a sensational night show performed in the largest natural theatre in the world. Boundless sky and 12 peaks about 2km along Li River compose the stage of mountain and river backdrops. As, the show was narrated in Chinese, it is not possible to understand the story. But, the co-ordination and light and sound direction with the natural stage set, it was an unforgettable experience.
- Yangshuo Centre: Old town centre of Yangshuo is very charming and interesting to explore in both day-time and evening offering completely different experiences. You will the place mostly occupied by foreigners, mostly from western part of the world. While the centre of Yangshuo is very quiet during the day, in the evenings the town gets crowded with tourists returning from their day trips in the countryside and this laid-back town suddenly transforms into a lively shopping and party scene.
- Bamboo boat drifting: Gently drift down the Yulong River on a bamboo boat and discover why this region of China is so famous in terms of beauty and magnificent scenery. Calm and serenity in the Yangshuo countryside.
- Bicycle ride in the villages: Visit the authentic Chinese countryside by bike or with an electric scooter, riding on small paths, around the Karst Mountains, through fields and paddies and experience the rural life in the villages of Yangshuo.
Local delicacies to try –
Chinese people seem to be very delighted to serve the food to a foreigner and get the feedback from them. With the customization being asked to prepare for a vegetarian meal, they would love to put their best foot forward and are seeking your appreciation if the food is really good. Though, we had our food with us. But, during lunch, we had to take it outside and try some Chinese vegetarian food. Below is what we tried
- Guilin Rice Noodles (Mifen) - Taking pride of place as the most popular local snack, mifen is a food readily available in Guilin whether you a vegetarian or non-veg. You can ask any local restaurant to remove meat and put vegetables instead. Guilin rice noodles can probably be found within 100m of any town or city area.
- Sticky rice - We tried to give it a vegan touch. Though, these are cooked with crab sticks. But, we asked the cook to put some egg and tofu instead. Served with chilli oil, it was delightful to have this very local food.
- Vegetable Fried rice - Lettuce, tomato, broccoli, eggplant and mushrooms fried with rice and served with a small chilli is one of the speciality of the area.
- Oil Tea -The ethnic minorities of the region, including the Miao, Yao and Dong people, often enjoy Oil tea. It is renowned for its medicinal qualities. Many people throughout the area like oil tea especially Gongcheng oil-tea from the county, which is named after a county of Guilin.
Travel Tips for China –
- Overcome the language Barrier - The number one hurdle to overcome when travelling around China is the language barrier. This can be overcome by hiring a local tour guide (a bit expensive). But, in case you are on your own, Prepare flash cards for important words that you feel you might need with English and Chinese written on them. So that, you may get help from local people showing them. Alternatively, download an English-Chinese translation app in your smartphone.
- A local sim card - This will be a helpful tool to be in touch with your tour guide or to your hotel English speaking staff, who may help you in dire need. It can be easily purchased in Hong Kong.
- Pack your food - A heaven for meat and sea food lovers, finding vegetarian food in China for a foreigner can turn out to be a daunty task after the exhaustion of a day long trip to sightseeing. Hence, it’s better to be prepared beforehand. Pack some handy snacks. It would be nice if you speak to your hotel beforehand to use their fridge and microwave for keeping and warming up frozen food. So pack some frozen stuffed parathas, Indian curries. It helped us a lot.
- Check the weather - Drizzling, hailstorm or even a shower can spoil your plans for the day during this time in Guilin. It is better to check the weather before planning your trip.
- Pack your bags well - Actually, packing contains great knowledge. Your packing will greatly affect the happiness of your trip. What you may use in other places may not suit China. When you are visiting Guilin in summer/ spring, it will be useful to pack light clothes. Put one or two disposable raincoats. As, it may shower anytime. Vegans should pack some of the veg food as well. Do not forget to carry your passport, Visa and currency ;-).
Final Verdict –
Our 3 nights, 4day trip ended with a drive back to Guilin Railway station. It was a wonderful and relaxing break from the very fast life in Hong Kong.
Guilin and its surrounding areas are amazing places in nature’s lap and one of the most scenic areas in China. If you don’t believe then you can find the scenery on a 20 RMB note ;-).
If you plan a trip to China, you should definitely have Guilin as part of your itinerary. Though, if you know mandarin language well, the travel would not be very expensive. But, with no knowledge of Chinese languages, it is recommended to shell out few more hundreds (RMB) and hire a local tour guide and experience the real China with him.