Written by Holly

On our second day in Yangshou we decided to go for a group bike ride (9 of us) without a guide (very risky!). Every single activity here has a guide option which is pushed by our main guide but we keep turning her down so it's cheaper! We went for a nice breakfast in MC Blues where we had eaten the previous evening (some of the group feeling a bit delicate!) of banana milk porridge and toast and then went to hire bikes - only 1.50p (no pound sign!) for the day which was a real bargain! We were both quite lucky and managed to get mountain bikes and the rest of the group got these old fashioned girly bikes (see photos!) which weren't very sturdy! We bought a map of the surrounding area which wasn't particularly detailed and decided to attempt to follow the map and just ask the local people if we got lost.

We set out from the town which was a bit ropey as the cars just drive out of nowhere and as we've mentioned before, there's just no road etiquette whatsoever. So that was a bit tense, but we made it (round a massive roundabout as well which was very very scary!) and then on to a quieter, open road. It was a fairy easy ride with some quite steep hills but we loved the exercise after not doing much since our Great Wall treck. The scenery was just amazing, we were surrounded by the Limestone Mountains the whole time and cycled through lush green farmland and villages that felt like they were in the middle of nowhere. The local people have an extremely primitive life which we half envy really. Their biggest challenge is the simple things like preparing their own food and pumping water. Although, it wasn't as primitive as we would have liked - there are electricity pylons everywhere and we spotted a few large TV screens in some of the houses!

We got to one town after riding for over an hour and asked for some directions. By this point we really weren't sure where we were at all and were feeling ready for some lunch. Absolutely nobody spoke English and most people just laughed at us as we pointed to the map and tried to demonstrate that we needed directions. After ascertaining from one person that we needed to go a certain way, we ended up riding through a tiny street off a dirt track where we could see the local people sitting in their porches playing cards and eating. Nobody seems to really work here, there seems to be a lot of sitting around and chilling out going on! We found the most beautiful spot to stop for lunch overlooking a lake (we've attached a photo) and attracted some wild chickens who wanted to share with us! One of the guys in our group, Ed, tried to speak to a local man to find directions who offered to take us and our bikes back to Yangshou in his pick up truck (for a fee!!!). We declined and thought it would just be easier (and no doubt cheaper) for us to find our way.

We continued on the way we had been shown and ended up in the middle of a village where loads of kids were giggling and pointing at us. The minute I got the camera out they shrieked and ran away laughing - it was the most bizarre experience and they were all so cute shouting out "hello" and then running off giggling! They were absolutely no help with directions so we continued on through some peoples gardens - nobody seemed to mind as we smiled and shouted "ni hao" to them!

This really was the most amazing ride - we got to see so many villages and spectacular views. And the whole time we knew we were lost and had no idea how to get back but we just wanted to keep riding! Somehow we knew it was going to be okay and we would eventually find our way back and it surprised me how cool I was about the whole experience - usually something like this would have panicked me but I just kept smiling and riding! Eventually we left the villages and continued on our dirt track. We could see the Li River to our right and stopping riding and ran down the bank to look. It was the most beautiful view - looming mountains reflected in the river and small islands dotted about - breathtaking! It was at that point that it really hit us - we are so far away from home and have just discovered the most amazing place! We felt so serene and at peace - what a great feeling.

After that we continued along our track - passing many fields and farmers who all waved and smiled at the stupid foreigners riding along completely lost!! One girl in the group's bike had a flat tyre on the front so Matt kindly swapped bikes with her (what a gentleman) and had to ride the rest of the way on a girls bike with a puncture! Priceless! We eventually realised we had been riding in a loop and ended up back on our original main road! After much cheering (and relief!) we stopped at a tiny little shop and bought Cokes from the sweetest woman who gave us all fruit and took our photo! After that, it only took us another hour or so to get back to Yangshou and we realised we had ridden about 25 miles which is good going really. We were all exhausted and went to a little bar for some dinner and apple crumble to finish (well, we deserved it after all the riding!!).

We met up with the rest of the group and got a mini bus to our next destination (unfortunately Fawlty Towers wasn't to be) up in a more remote part of the town. When we arrived we were really pleasantly surprised - it is the most beautiful farm in the countryside owned by a British man and his Swiss wife. They have moved out here to run the guesthouse and brought their two kids who are currently being home schooled by his wife whilst they are renovating the guesthouse! It's the most beautiful place set in the mountains and it's so relaxed and friendly. We were so happy to be there - our room is really different (photo is displayed) - by far the nicest we have stayed in since we got to China. And they have home made chocolate cake! So we are staying in heaven!