RIVER RUNS MILD

After, yes, another extremely long, overnight train (25 hrs) from Shanghai to Guilin, we just about managed to sort out a cab to the bus station, then moved on to Yangshuo, one of China's tourist hotspots... and for good reason. The mystical karst scenery is just beautiful (think old Chinese landscape paintings) and finally we had found somewhere that was more natural, unpolluted & chilled out. Yes - the town itself is very touristy, but this provides a fun nightlife and the 2 rivers, which wind through forest-covered limestone peaks, is only a short bicycle-ride away. The 2 hours we spent drifting along on our own chauffeur-punted bamboo raft (bicycles on the back) was the most blissful, relaxing time we'd had since arriving in China. It was a shame we only had 2 days there, but we felt lucky to have been there at all. Thanks for making sure we went there Jesse - nicely done!