The Difference is Staggering

Originally, I wasn’t going to go to China at all this trip. Logically, I don’t think I should have. HK$1020 for the Visa plus all the travel expenses…my wallet didn’t want to me to go. But Kelly, Zarina, and Cinja were going to Guilin for the weekend and most of my close friends here would be away over the weekend elsewhere, leaving me with nothing to do. So last minute decision, I went to China. And I’m so glad I did. While Taiwan and the Philippines were amazing fun, I don’t feel like they’ll be the stories I’ll be telling my kids. They were essentially partying in a different country, with traces of culture on the fringe. But China was an entirely new experience.

As soon as you cross the border into China, it’s a whole different world. If you’ve crossed into Mexico to Tijuana, it’s kind of like that. Except there really is no English and the shopping is better. Didn’t spend much time in Shenzhen (the border city) except to grab some food at McDonald’s before our overnight train. Even McDonald’s was different! You sit down and they take your order, there are more spicy food options since it’s close to Sichuan (I guess?) and the chocolate was different. The sleeper train was long, but not too shabby. Arrived in Guilin at 6am and immediately headed out hostel and out sightseeing.

We walked all through Guilin and it was nothing like I expected. I had heard it was a “small rural town” but in actuality it was a large city. Stopped at Elephant Hill, where we pretty much paid to see a rock with a hole it in and a bunch of elephant statues. You’d think that they had real life elephants there at one point, but it’s all manufactured to bring in tourists and their money for anything. Walked to nearby twin pagodas and opted to not pay to get in but walk along the riverside and soak it in. We came across a market on our way to our next stop and it was quite the experience. Fruit and spices covering every inch of table space, chilies upon chilies, and then came the meat section. Cages filled to the brim of ducks, chickens, quails, and pigeons, tables of pig legs, baskets so full of fish they could barely move. The smell became too much and I had to find refuge among the tea and spices area. Definitely an experience. We continued our walking tour of the city and stopped in at Solid Beauty Peak (an old walled city), Seven Star Park (caves that weren’t there, waterfalls that had dried up, and the saddest zoo I’ve ever seen), and more markets.

Somewhere in the day we tried to get lunch. This was the hardest part of our day as everywhere that had a menu with pictures was out of our price range, and everything that was in our price range had no English, no pictures, and no one to translate anything we said. Luckily, we had just learned some food vocabulary in mandarin that week! After ordering what we hoped was rice, beef, and vegetables, we waited at a small table inside the dingy little room that was an “eatery”. Our food comes and what do you know it’s delicious! And then the bill comes it’s Y6 (a little under US$1) each! Excellent start to our dining experience in China. The whole weekend was filled with amazing dishes, delicious meals, and dirt cheap prices. And here I was worried I’d be living off snack food like Pringles and Oreos the whole time.

That night we checked out Guilin’s night market. They close off half of the main street every night so hundreds of stalls can set up and sell their wares. We all ended up buying a good amount of stuff – I got a “Diesel” purse, a “Boss” wallet, and a belt for under US$12! After this we were pretty exhausted and decided we’d need as much sleep as possible before our 8am pick up for the boat to Yangshou.

Bright and early we’re off. Of course, before we get to our boat we make a pit stop at a souvenir shop, always trying to get your money. Talked with the only other English speakers on our bus and heard some cool stories about their travels in India. Traveling around for 6 months…not sure if I could handle it but it does sound pretty cool. When we finally got on our boat we had a bit of drama with seating and food, but it all worked out in the end. Talked with a Chinese man who had studied/worked in Canada and he helped us communicate with a few of the other locals. I’m sure he was just being nice, but he was impressed with our Chinese! The trip down the river was beautiful and impressive. It’s amazing what nature’s capable of, if we don’t destroy it.

A few hours down the river and we arrived in Yangshou, which is a cute little town, even if it is VERY touristy. We rented a taxi for an hour and drove around to see Moon Hill (another hole in a rock), rice paddies, and a bridge with an awesome view of the mountains and river. Didn’t really see much else of Yangshou because of the rain, though. Saw another night market, where I bought a nice handheld mirror, and then went off to see the Great Light Show. It was choreographed by the same guy who choreographed the opening ceremonies and it was amazing to see 600 people singing and putting on this show together. The show was outside and it started raining pretty badly, but I’m glad we stayed all the way through. It was definitely worth it!

The next day we had another early morning to catch a bus to take us to the Longji Rice Terraces. We stopped in at a couple villages along the way. The Yao Village is the Village of the Long Haired people. The women stop cutting their hair at 18 years old, and wear it a certain way to display their family status. They had a show where they let down their hair, but we weren’t about to waste the money on that. Instead, we explored the villages and got invited in by a local man to see his own home. While it looked sparse and rustic, it had hints of the modern day. They still smoke their vegetables by keeping them in the room above their fire, but they also had really nice Bose speakers and a satellite dish. I wasn’t expecting that. The last stop was the rice terraces and they were really impressive. We get off the bus and walk up to a café about half way up to grab lunch. The rain had followed us here so we were all worried we wouldn’t see anything in the mist. We finish lunch and decide to suck it up and trek to the top anyway just in case you can see something. As we walk the rain starts to let up, the further we climb the more the mist clears. We reached the top and it was just amazing. Rice terraces on every bit of ground available. The rain had brought with it clouds to frame our view. We stood up there soaking it in and taking photos for a while, and then just as we start to head back down the mist rolled in and swallowed everything in white. Lucky timing!

We head back on the bus and soon are back in Guilin, then back to Shenzhen. Zarina and I decided to stay around and shop, since this would be my only chance to do so because of my crappy double entry visa. Ended up spending way too much money on some things I don’t really need. Best purchase was definitely the 16gb flash drive I bought for US$10! Shopping there is hard work because they try to rip you off any way they can. Then headed back to CUHK for a long week ahead of studying and paper-writing before I could escape again, this time to Vietnam.

I’m really glad I decided to go to China. I doubt I will come back here any time soon, especially not to places like Guilin which are pretty unknown. Great trip - a fun weekend, a cultural experience, and some goodies to show for it. I’m looking forward to my next visit into China – Beijing!

Photos: Elephant Hill, chickens at the market, view of the river from a bridge in Yangshou, Cinja with one of the long-haired women, and the view of the rice terraces from the top.

Upcoming posts: Vietnam! Off to Beijing tomorrow, too!