We were up and in the lobby by 7:30. Our tour guide came to fetch us and a couple of other women from the hotel and lead us to the bus. We made a couple of other stops at other hotels and headed to the pier. Bill and I were concerned as the weather was overcast and very gray. We were thinking, "we paid x to see the beautiful karst formations along the river and we just got clouds...WTF"! However, the mist lifted just as we were boarding the boat. The boat had 3 decks. The lower one was a dining area with tables and banquette seating, the next was a covered smaller area, and the third deck was the open top of the boat. We stayed up there for most of the ride.
The views were amazing. There was one other westerner on the trip, Matt Sanchez, from Pittsburgh. He is a mineralogist and a geologist who advises mining companies on the quality of the minerals that they are purchasing in China.
Matt Sanchez
Elvis Glasses make their appearance!
It was all about the scenery. When we docked in Yangshuo that's when things started to get iffy. We were greeted by gangs of touts selling all sorts of things that clearly were made elsewhere in China, but were being pawned off as local objects. It was also extremely hot, the pack was heavy and not well balanced, waaaaah
We arrive at our hotel and this is what I noticed.... Only the near door slides....It is impossible to reach the TP from the toilet. This was the start of the weird with the room. The shower was to the right of the toilet and there was no additional enclosure. TP couldn't stay in the bathroom during a shower! The ventilation in the room was poor. The room never really got less humid. Towels never dried, clothes always felt damp not a healthy place for me to stay.
The views were amazing. There was one other westerner on the trip, Matt Sanchez, from Pittsburgh. He is a mineralogist and a geologist who advises mining companies on the quality of the minerals that they are purchasing in China.
We arrive at our hotel and this is what I noticed.... Only the near door slides....It is impossible to reach the TP from the toilet. This was the start of the weird with the room. The shower was to the right of the toilet and there was no additional enclosure. TP couldn't stay in the bathroom during a shower! The ventilation in the room was poor. The room never really got less humid. Towels never dried, clothes always felt damp not a healthy place for me to stay.
Yangshuo was not my favorite place in China. It was a Disneyland for back packers. Crowded with shady looking people. More bars and clubs than restaurants. The restos that were there were not very good. Everything was shabby looking, run down, and every one was looking to make a buck off of the visitors. It wasn't the touts per se, but the general atmosphere. For me, very unpleasant, But Bill really liked it. I enjoyed the next day's activity much better.
We found the DMZ bar which Young Pioneer Tours where Nic was on duty.
We had dinner in an Indian place, Ganga something, it was pretty good, best of our Yangshuo lot.
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