Oriental Pearl Tower

Day two in Shanghai was pretty uneventful. I didn't have a whole lot of time, because I had a train to catch in the afternoon. I spent most of the day figuring out my remaining week in China and talking to other travelers in the lobby. I thought it would be nice to have a break from all the walking and didn't think I'd do anything, until one guy suggested going up the Oriental Pearl Tower, the most recognizable feature of the city. The tower is the highest in China and third highest in the world. It had a subway stop right next it, so I didn't have to do much walking!

I got there fairly quickly and took some photos around the base before going to the top. I didn't see a whole lot because of the fog, but I did have a fun experience walking on the glass floors. I used to have a fear of heights before getting into scrambling and climbing and walking on the glass (or plastic) panels brought some of that fear back. I was hesitant to step on them at first, as they looked quite flimsy and one even looked like it was cracked. It's been a while since I've felt that fear and I enjoyed the excitement.

It wasn't long before I had to hurry back to my hostel, pack my things and head to the railway station. I couldn't believe how busy the station was! It felt like it was busier than any airport I've been to, but that's just because there were so many people crammed into a single hall. There were other ways to get to my destination. I could have taken the bus or the plane, but I figured it would be good to experience the train at least once while in China.

Oriental Pearl Tower and Views:

Dodging scams in Shanghai

Shanghai is like the New York of China. Skyscrapers seem to be everywhere you look and it's a busy place. I had planned to avoid it, but it was on route so might as well check it out. The guidebook suggested a whole bunch of museums and art galleries, but I prefer to be outside. I spent most of the day walking around, going through The Bund, the "Old Town" and the French Concession.

I realized that everywhere you go in Shanghai, as a tourist, there's someone nearby that'll try to scam you. While taking photos at The Bund, a girl approached me about taking a photo of her and her friends. I was happy to help. After I took the photo they seemed to want to chat and wanted to find out where I was from. The conversation was quite pleasant, until I realized that it was all part of a scam. As soon as they started talking about "tea ceremonies" and inviting me out with them, I thanked them and moved on. This was something I had heard about before. They take you to a fancy restaurant that probably gives them a few bucks and then you end up flipping an expensive bill. I would ran into another group minutes later that did the exact same routine. I also ran into the "art students" who lure you to an art gallery and try and give you limited time deals on their hard-worked paintings. I politely declined.

As I walked to the City God Temple and through the "Old Town" it was Rolex watches. Every single corner had men who were in my face trying to sell fake Rolex watches. It was the first time I really got frustrated with the peddlers. I bought a ticket to a nearby temple just to get away from the annoyances. The "Old Town" looked fairly new to me and it was like a giant shopping mall with couple of Starbucks, McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut and overpriced Chinese food. I didn't stay there long.

On the way back to my hostel I walked back through the French Concession. Here the appeal is old western style architecture. It didn't really do much for me. It didn't help that every corner had women and men trying to sell real leather "lady bags." I don't know why I looked like I would be interested in a "lady bag."

The only neat thing about Shanghai is how much it doesn't look like it's a city in China. I feel like I've already spent too much time here and look forward to moving on. Tomorrow I'll be taking my first overnight train, should be interesting.

The Bund:

City God Temple and Old Town:

Streets of Shanghai:

Biking around Yangshuo

What a day! It started off a little bit slow, as I had trouble getting myself out of bed on yet another rainy day. Checked out of the hostel in Xingping and went to Yangshuo for the day. There I decided to explore the surrounding area on a bicycle. I got some ideas of a route from the hostel I stayed at previously and got a decent bike, with a comfortable seat.

Like with my Fishing Village hike, the route that was suggested by the hostel looked way more straight forward on the map. I got lost pretty much right away. The good thing was that I had a picture of the place I was trying to get to and often asked for directions. I followed the Yulong River which was really beautiful for scenery. It's quite calm so it was perfect for reflections.

The trail I followed soon turned from a paved road to an extremely muddy and narrow dirt trail. Often I questioned whether I was on the right route. I also encountered many locals who were trying to get me to go down the Yangshuo by way of bamboo raft. These guys were just horrible. Not only were they in my face about rafting, they also gave me wrong directions when I refused to go on the raft. The most reliable people were the villagers and farmers.

My destination was Moon Hill, a limestone arch formation. After a long, dirty and sometimes frustrating ride, I finally found it. I locked up my bike and bought an overpriced drink from an old lady taking advantage of thirsty travellers. This was a mistake, as she decided to follow me up the entire mountain to try and sell me more drinks. At the top she doubled her price. I politely declined and after taking some photos, I headed back down. She followed me persistantly and she was surprisingly quick for her age, but I did manage to lose her on the way down. I turned off into the bush once I was barely out of her sight and watched her run down past me then took my time enjoying the scenery. She was not too impressed when she saw me reach the bottom a few minutes after her.

I didn't have a whole lot of time remaining as I had to head to Guilin to catch a flight to Shanghai. I spent the rest of the day in buses, taxis and on the plane. I arrived in Shanghai quite late and didn't see much of the city. I'm not a fan of big cities, but I'll try and take in a bit of it before I move on.

Biking around Yangshuo:

Hiking Moon Hill:

Finding Yucun, The Fishing Village

It was still raining when I got up, so I took my time getting out of bed. My intention today was to find the Fishing Village that's near Xingping. Yesterday I tried to hike to it and got lost, today I had a better idea of the route and took photos of the drawn map at my hostel. The map makes it look pretty easy, the problem is that I have no idea whether that route is a street, a paved pathway or a dirt road or a combination of all of those. But I figured wherever I ended up it would be interesting.

As I walked through the rural area, I passed a family that waved to me and said "hello" in English. One of the little kids seemed particularly excited and was full of smiles. I waved back and continued on. Walked for another twenty minutes and found myself walking back towards Xingping. Whatever route I took, I did a complete circle. I sighed, went back to the hotel and asked if they could write down the name of the fishing village so that I could ask people. They wrote it down and told me how to say it.

This made such a difference. Every person I saw I simply said the name and I was pointed in the right direction. Pretty soon I found my way back to that family I saw earlier and though they laughed when they realized I had walked in a circle, they pointed me in the right direction once I told them where I was going.

The trail turned from a nice paved path to a narrow muddy trail. It went tright through a mountain pass and thick foilage. I was getting increasingly dirty and wet and on top of that the rain got stronger. Hiking with an umbrella, a rain poncho that barely fits me and taking pictures was a bit of a challenge. I just laughed when I thought about what I must look like to the people here. It was pretty foggy, but ocassionally the fog would lift and I could see some beautiful scenery.

I got pretty excited when the trail started heading down and I could see the river. I knew I was close and felt quite happy that I finally found this place. Third times the charm! The hilarious thing was when I finally entered the village and saw bus loads of tourists. I guess this was a popular boat stop. I didn't see a single fisherman and what few sterets there were, they were lined with tables selling tourist trinkets, food and drinks. The people looked at me curiously, wondering why I was covered in mud. Ah well, the hike was nice. I took a bamboo raft back to Xingping.

Back at the hostel I met up with Matt and Lauren for lunch. I met them on the boat from Guilin and we talked about hiking up Laozhai Shan, the mountain I went up yesterday. I suggested we go up after lunch if the clouds lifted. Lauren was a bit hesitant but Matt and I managed to convince her. It turned out to be a really good decision because the views we had were just jaw-dropping. It's hard to believe a place like this exists, even when you're looking right at it. It was this view that made me come to Xingping. We took many photos and stayed on the summit for a bit before heading back down.

Finding the Fishing Village:

Heading back to Xingping via Li River:

Views from Laozhai Hill

Xingping

While on the boat ride along Li River, I was talking to a couple from Ireland who told of a place just north of Yangshuo called Xingping and they showed me a hostel pamphlet full of some really nice photos. One photo in particular captured my attention, taken from the summit of Laozhai Hill. I figured I would go check out this town, so when I woke up I packed my bags and hoped on the bus. It was only a short ride and within minutes of getting into Xingping, I found the hostel that produced the pamphlet. I decided to check in and start exploring the area.

It was raining lightly but not enough to get soaked, so I packed my rain poncho and started hiking up Laozhai Hill. It was quite lush and the steps were very slippery from the rain during the night, but it didn't take long to get to the top. Unfortunately I was in cloud the whole time. The view from the top is supposed to be spectacular, with a bend in the river and a ton of limestone formations in the background. I was barely able to see the river.

As I started hiking back down, the rain intensified. Pretty soon it felt like I was swimming, not walking. I carefully made it down the mountain and wasn't quite sure what to do next. It's hard to get motivated when you're wet. I walked around the streets of Xingping for a bit and then returned to my hostel to get some ideas.

The hostel recommended visiting the fishing village that's nearby, about an hour and a half of walking. I started heading in that direction, but my rain poncho ripped and I was getting pretty wet. So I returned to Xingping, bought an umbrella and decided to save the fishing village for tomorrow.

I'm quite glad I decided to check out Xingping. It's pretty small, much smaller than Yangshuo and much quieter too. Too bad about the weather though. I'm getting quite skeptical that I'll get to see the surreal colours of this place at sunrise or sunset, the forecast is calling for more rain in the upcoming days.

Hiking Laozhai Hill:

Xingping Town:

Snail Hill in the clouds:

Li River to Yangshuo

What a long day! It started with a trip down the Li River, from Guilin to Yangshuo. The trip lasted about four hours, but we first had to drive around Guilin to pick up all the people who were coming along for the boat ride. I thought there were a lot of people, but compared to other boats we some on the river, ours didn't look nearly as packed.

We set out from Guilin at around 9:00 am. By the time we reached the really scenic areas of the Li River, the sun was already pretty high up and didn't have the best light for photos. I wondered if a boat were to set out much earlier to get to get the sunrise, whether it would be a lot more successful with tourists. All the boats set out at around the same time -- maybe it's regulated? Really the boat ride seems to be the major source of income in Guilin, everybody and their mother will try to sell you the boat tour. I got asked at the airport, in the taxi, at the restaurant, at a gallery, at a tea shop and several other times while walking around. I was surprised that they didn't ask me again on the boat. I spent most of the boat ride on the top of the boat, admiring the limestone formations and the life along the river. It was a little bit cold and hazy, but at least it wasn't raining.

When we got to Yangshuo, I signed up for bamboo rafting along the Yulong River and to the nearby Baisha village. I barely had enough time to check in and put my backpack in my room before I was off again. The rafting was really fun, though for photos it was a little challenging, as all the tourists, including myself, were given bright life jackets which got in almost every photo. Not sure they were completely necessary, the water really wasn't that deep.

The scenery here has been used in a lot of media and movies. The nearby Dragon Bridge was used as a backdrop for The Painted Veil. The view from it is apparently one of the default desktop backgrounds for Windows.

Though things aren't exactly as I expected. For whatever reason, I thought Yangshuo would be a lot more rural. When I saw fishermen in photos before coming here, I thought they were actually using cormorants to catch fish. The guide we had was telling us there's actually very few fishermen that still know how to train the birds. Most of the ones seen in photos are actually dressed up specifically for photos or shows. I saw one offering to let me take his picture for five yuen. I may take him up on that offer tomorrow, if the lighting is better.

I've been really hoping for some sunrise or sunset photos, but that may be asking a lot considering it's been raining here for almost two weeks. The hostel I'm staying at today has a nice view from the rooftop and I spent the evening there having dinner and waiting in vain for the sunset. It just got dark and cold, so I went down to my room and started working on the blog.

Li River:

Yulong River:

Baisha Villager:

Yangshuo: