Yangzhou

Today we took a 4 1/2 hour cruise down the Li River from Guilin to Yangzhou. The mountains are stunning. They are what Chinese art is made of. Around every turn in the river, it was like looking at a new painting.

 

This is supposed to be the scene on the 20 yuan bill.

We were on a two story boat with a deck on top. About 100 boats per day make this trip down the river. Needless to say, Guilin and Yangzhou were much more touristy than I had imagined. After leaving the boat, we walked up West Street to our hotel. Kyra, Liam and our guide, Judy, decided to take advantage of some of the exercise equipment.

Shops and restaurants everywhere.

A pagoda built with no nails.

This evening we went to one of the most spectacular shows I have ever seen. It celebrated the culture of the minority people of China. The stage was a portion of the Li River and the backdrop were the beautiful mountains lit up. These pictures do nothing to convey the spectacle we watched this evening.

I don't have pictures on my phone as it was dead, but this afternoon we took a bike ride that was billed as "through the countryside." I will say that this is probably the closest experience we've had to really experiencing China. Our China has consisted of being chauffeured around in vans, staying in 4 star hotels and eating in restaurants where the amount of food seems neverending. Our bike ride today was vastly different. With Craig and Liam on a tandem bike and Kyra and I on single bikes following our guide, we started and ended on a busy road that we were on much longer than I anticipated. So like millions of Chinese every day, we darted through traffic on bikes with no helmets and it was like a death wish. I cannot figure out how hundreds of people are not injured on a daily basis. Our ride through the countryside was a reality check for all of us. We rode through a very poor village. There were gardens and pigs and some houses were fine and some were simply crumbling. We stopped by a farmer's land and with his permission picked kumquats. The poverty was apparent and broke our hearts. It was a new experience and an eye opener for my children. It reminded us that we are beyond blessed.