In word BEAUTIFUL!

We have found a tiny piece of heaven here....So lovely to finish off our China adventure here In Yangshou! The boat journey up the Li river from Guilin-Yangshou was fantastic. Our boat was rather old and "well worn", our driver didn't speak any English so we just hoped we would end up in Yangshou!! On the way we past by huge towering limestone peaks - I couldn't believe how huge they were and how many of them you could see in the distance! It was an incredible view, also it was quiet misty so it gave a JurassicPark feel...Thank goodness no dinosaurs came and joined us though!! After completing the boat journey we got a local bus to the centre of Yangshou.......Before we knew it we were being taken to a lovely hotel with hot showers, clean sheets and a TV! Wow what a bonus for us after some of the places we had been staying and the price of the accommodation was cheap as chips so we were more than happy to spend a few nights here! Bonus!!!

After walking round the town, munching through some local noodles and banana pancakes we concluded that we had found an amazing place! The next day we planned to rent bikes... We cycled out into the countryside, along by the river! Was a nice sunny day so we quickly ditched our long johns, layers of thermals and enjoyed the sun! It must have been a nice day as I managed to get a burnt nose. Opps look like a reindeer now!!! Riding through the villages was a great experience...The locals seemed pleased to see us and are always friendly towards us! Passed through lots of farmland, rice paddies and small fields of cows! The way these villages live is incredible, they seem to just spend their day's playing cards, smoking or just simply watching the occasional biker ride past! They seem so happy and so content and ALWAYS had a wave and smile for us......Lovely people, lovely food, lovely atmosphere and wonderful views!

We leave Yangshou tonight by sleeper bus and move down to Hong Kong for a few days.....