Travelogue from China: Yangshuo

In the autumn of 2018, our Asia manager Michelle visited China for the first time. Read about her experiences from scenic Yangshuo below.

My train ticket said window seat. Yes! I thought. It was like a seat on an aeroplane, and there were stewardesses on board. A state-of-the-art high-speed train would be zipping me from Chengdu to southern China. The train pulled away from the platform and headed for Guilin at a speed of 300 km/h.

I passed through industrial areas and medium-sized cities. The closer I got to Guilin, the better the view, with green mountains, waterfalls and small villages.

Suddenly, the smell hit me – the aroma of 20 different noodle dishes. I had brought my own food, snacks and drinks with me from a supermarket in Chengdu, but there was also the option to buy on board. While the smell of the noodle dishes spread through the carriage, it suddenly got incredibly noisy. Behind me, a young guy was sitting listening to music, someone beside me was playing beeping games, a child was crying opposite me while another one was screaming, and the people in front of me were talking at what seemed like 100 decibels! A lot of Chinese people are incredibly loud compared to us Northern Europeans. You just have to get used to it. But in China, there is space for people, space for each other. I really like that.

The sign outside the window said Guilin, and that’s where I was going. I grabbed my suitcase and hand luggage and jumped off the train. Out in front of the station I saw a sign that said “Michelle – Asiatours”. It was my guide Tao and a driver who had come to meet me. Together we drove to Yangshuo, which took around an hour and a half.

On our way to Yangshuo, we made a stop at Xianggong Mountain. About 400 steps led me to a viewing platform where I was rewarded with a stunning view of the Li River, which flows from Guilin to Yangshuo. “This is where you enjoy the best view of the Li River and the countryside,” explained Tao. I was in no doubt about that!

We continued to the hotel. A hotel outside the city. And my goodness, it was stunning here! I had heard that it was beautiful in Yangshuo, but I hadn’t imagined it to be so magical. Unfortunately, the weather was not on my side, but there was no getting away from the beauty of the place. Mountains, rivers, fields…

Tao and I borrowed two bikes belonging to the hotel. I wanted to go out and explore Yangshuo. From the saddle of my bike, I experienced life in the countryside. Young children were playing, and a woman was washing clothes in the river, while men were busy out in the fields. We cycled along the Yulong River, where tall limestone mountains were reflected in the water. I saw a few tourists who were bamboo rafting. They were slowly gliding down the river.

The rain picked up, so we bought a couple of rain ponchos and continued our bike ride to Moon Hill, Yangshuo’s iconic mountain with a hole in the top. Visibility was poor, so I chose not to go up. Instead, we went to a local, family-owned restaurant, located at the foot of Moon Hill. I had “bamboo rice”. It was so good!

Having sheltered from the rain for quite some time, it started to clear up, and we decided to ride back to the hotel. “So, what now?” I asked. “How about ending the day at cooking school?” Tao asked. I was totally up for that!

She accompanied me to the cooking school, which was a few minutes walk from the hotel. Here, I joined a group made up of people from Lebanon, the US, Australia, the Netherlands and Germany. The cooking school was in a small traditional farmhouse. The chefs were sweet and helpful and gave us a brief introduction to Chinese cuisine before we set about cooking the evening meal. All of the ingredients came from the local area. We made five dishes. I was proud! If you ever visit Yangshuo, be sure to try the local dish “beer fish” – it tastes amazing!

After a lovely, action-packed day, one very tired woman went to bed, looking forward to the next day’s adventures in southern China…

Michelle, TourCompass