Hey I am back after being in the depths of deepest China...now in the sprawling metropolis of Hong Kong. Stage 2 Complete, Stage 3 of World Tour commences. Prior to this of course we flew from the cruise ship on the Yangtse to Gulin and on a bus to Yangshou. The bus journey alone was stunning. Yangshou is a small town in central south China. Quite popular with Tourists it still holds some of its cultural routes. Every where you look there are karsts (huge Mountain like rocks protruding from the flat surfaces - see the pictures - you'll understand). I was getting a little fed up with City life to be honest also...wanting to see a bit more of traditional China, Yangshou didn't disappoint. This is where Brett worked as a barman for 19 months and throughout the whole tour we he kept telling us.... So we decided to keep telling him it back which he never really understood. Jules found it stupidly amusing...but Brett didn't even click until we got there. But he adores this place...so it had a lot to live up to. Checking into our hotel we then set off for dinner, the whole group always stuck together for these kinds of events that was really good. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people and that is no word of a lie. Yangshou - Western food available.... Fantastic for a change! Mixed Grill always a winner...Vimo and I went for the same. Something different after all the Chicken and Cashew Nuts we had been having. Followed by a trip to the Bar Brett used to run called the Buffalo Bar. Managed by another Aussie - surprisingly. Named Alf...appropriate I know Alfie Moon and all. Jules and I were the first in with Brett while the others sampled some other delights...Quite a few beers here followed with the rest of the group. Brett was on a mission this night and got unbelievably pissed. Brett is really quite funny when hes drunk... laughing at everything and anything. So we wrote all over him in Biro.... See pictures and Vimo decided to do a body shot off him...weird but funny...he also decided that 9am was not a good time to meet for a bike ride and 11 was much more suitable... Good form drunk Brett...with Brett passed out and stumbled somewhere...the pub started to get quieter. Then all of a sudden Two crazed Norwegian girls appear and start dancing on the chairs and chatting to us...absolutely lashed...I have no idea where they came from or where they went...my priority for the night was the 50p a huge bottle of local beer...mmmmmmm! I do however remember one of them saying they were skiing.... Very strange in this place since it was quite warm that night. A few more bottles and it was home time, the bars in Yangshou or even China one don't have a drinking age.... And two don't have a closing time so I said my farewells made Alf make me a Sandwich for the road...and head off to bed. The Morning came and the Bike ride dawned on us...totally fine with no hangover we all got our bikes and a very confused Brett led us into the heart of Yangshou and its countryside. Now this is worth the whole trip alone...along a dirt track with just nature all around, farms with rice paddies (if that's how you spell it!), farmers using the land, local people just going about their traditional ways. It was fantastic to see, and surrounded by all of these Karsts...see the pictures it was heaven. Brett having lived here for 19 MONTHS knew the local routes really well so the dirt track was an easy ride but tranquil as well. We head for Moon Mountain / Hill, which is like the arches in Utah simply a hole in the mountain that formed an Arch. Before we started Brett got interviewed for CCTV9 - a documentary on a lady who used to follow tourists up and down the mountain selling anything she could...learnt all of her English from them, and now owns a restaurant around the corner. They call her moma moon...funny that! A lovely old lady who decided to ask Brett on National TV what he thought about Chairman Mao...ooh funny. Anyhow think the answer was slightly censored. Climbing right to the hole was difficult, so many stairs, and climbing to the peak can you believe was much easier...We had some great views from up there. On the route down a new story came into light Mare Ann and Paul had been in the Tidal wave area last Christmas and had to run from the wave itself. Survivors of that event. Interesting conversation...I like these two...they are a really good to chat with, and even funnier to hang out with. With the final cycle back to Yangshou, a shower and some free time for food and chilling out. The weather could have been a bit better however.... Mostly overcast...but the rain let us alone on the ride luckily. Today was also Tall Paul's birthday so we were all heading out to the Buffalo Bar once again for quiz night and obviously a Happy Birthday meal. So the Tables were split, it was the Peoples Republic of Vimo VS The we do not recognise the Peoples Republic of Vimo VS the rest of the Bar...To cut a long story short Communism lost because well Democracy cheated better than we did... We stayed out quite late in honour of our birthday boy and he had a cake and everything. The great thing about the Buffalo Bar was that Alf has Limewire which means we can request any song and download it to listen to...I had a little Jesse Malin, Pete Yorn, Editors, Jack Johnson, Feeder among others... I love that bar.... Jules and I have been offered jobs there if we ever should feel the need so always an option. Brett disappeared early...and we tried to keep the rest alive but sadly everyone was cream crackered...so an early 2.30am was the end. Very impressed that little pasty stayed out the whole night too. She's really funny, and great to talk to. Sinead is becoming my new drinking partner...way cuter than Paul...so sorry but it has to be said. (Miss ya loads) The next day a certain select few went rock climbing, which was cool, and then the whole group went to cooking school. We first went to the local Chinese market and saw the live dogs, Rabbits, Chickens, Fish, Seafood, everything you can thing of bar snake.... We even saw a lady cutting up a dog that had just been killed. The sight was horrible, but it didn't put me off trying some dog meat anyhow...later that night with a select few. It was really nice. Anyhow I hope I haven't offended anyone there. So cooking school was amusing, we learnt some traditional Chinese dishes, like Beer Fish, Chicken and Cashew Nut (I'm so sick of this dish), Vegetables and some steamed Pork dish have the recipes so beware in a years time if I invite you round for dinner...We out outside where it was freezing cold. The Group were all going to a light show, except for me, Jules and Amal who thought it was a bit pricey...so we went to have Apple Crumble...and it was so good. I pulled! A 50-year-old American Teacher decided to give me her card and said e-mail when you're in Washington D.C. all Julies fault... Then you'll never guess where we ended up.... Yeah the Buffalo Bar...tonight was a little bit different...our final night...A huge Piss up. Julie decided she wanted to be the bar manager after 18ish vodkas, Amal went one for one with Julie...bad idea...since he doesn't drink! Sinead again acted as a great drinking partner...silent but deadly that girl is...great fun. We laughed and laughed. Sinead is so funny; it's that sly Irish Humour.... Her and Pasty together make me crack up. Paul decided to throw a strop and broke a toy dinosaur...Bad Paul! See pictures. As well as getting quite lairy and ripping my 100 RMB note...Brett tried to skip out early so we tackled him to the floor with Amal following up with randomly...."I need a shower or I'm going to catch Bird Flu". So it was until 4am Julie, Paul, Myself and Sinead in the Bar eating Alfs fruit and drinking copious amounts...Saying our goodbyes we skipped off into the night...looking for food. Upon returning to the hotel we found Julie outside Brett's door with her door k*** in her hand continuously pressing his doorbell...Brett answered half drunk half asleep and Paul rugby tackled him out of no-where to the floor. Classic... The next morning we all got slightly told we woke the whole hotel up...well Julie with her cackle anyhow. So it was last minute bathing in the sun.... And off we head to Hong-Kong. Yangshou was great; you can do anything you want here. Drink, eat either Western or Chinese, Sports, see traditional China...its a magnificent place that I will always remember Probably my favourite so far.... Highly Recommended