Have had a brilliant day cycling through the Yangshuo countryside with our two guides from Bike Asia. Scenery has been amazing. Have seen water buffalo, all sorts of crops, and a poisonous snake! We even had blue sky!

Spent this morning browsing the market stalls and trying out some bartering. Managed to avoid being sold a Rolex or Chairman Mao watch, despite the very insistent sales men. This afternoon involved a cycle and hike up Moon Hill (Jane), one of the peaks on the outskirts of Yangshuo (800 steps to the top for a great view of the scenery). Went to see the spectacular sound and light show this evening which takes place on the river. It's done on a huge scale with 6...

Have had a great day cycling and rafting on the Yu Long River! Jane has apparently wanted to do this since she was 14. Good view of the karst mountains and a close look at the paddy fields. Trying to ride along the raised drainage channels not advised as you can easily fall off! Saw 5 people on one motorbike today (2 adults, 2 children and a baby) - must be a record! Strange breakfast today - fresh fruit and mayonnaise! ....Just been out for dinner. West Stre...

Travelled up the River Li today on a tourist boat. We thought that there would be a few boats but China does things on a different scale. The armada was huge and stretched nose to tail as far as you could see - you can see the next boat behind ours in the photo (he did manage to overtake in the end). Amazing scenery on the journey despite the poor visibility - think the murky conditions may be due to China's pollution problems. Staying right in the middle of Yan...

Arrived in Guilin, China this evening, the 13th country in the last 2 months. The area around Guilin is famous for its limestone karst scenery (GCSE Geography). First impressions are that Guilin has a different look and feel to HK - still quite modern and very lively at night, but no skyscrapers and the traffic is a bit chaotic. Surprised at how cloudy / misty it is here. Not sure if it's due to the weather conditions or pollution? Caught a taxi from the air...