So here we are in Yangshuo, originally a beautiful village in the middle of Karst country but now transformed into a top tourist destination with all the attractions and shortcomings that brings. We have now been here for five nights recuperating from our hectic first three weeks and getting our laundry done but we have not been entirely idle. Our best efforts at spending a day or two doing nothing are continually thwarted by the range of activities available to the tourist with a couple of hundred Yuan burning a hole in their pocket. Luckily we spent the first four nights in the Li River Retreat a couple of km north of the town centre which is away from the hustle and bustle of the hawkers and tour groups and the perfect location to spend a few tranquil hours gathering our thoughts of the day and planning the days to come. If you ever happen to be in Yangshuo I would not only recommend but insist you try the place if you can stretch to the extortionate 17gbp per night for a double.

Anyway now I have put the Pereira quality seal on the hotel lets get down to business and Yangshuo itself. As I stated earlier being a massive tourist centre (our guide said that Guilin gets 80% of its revenue from tourism and by that measure Yangshuo must be close to 100%) there are plenty of people wiling to assist you by lightening your wallet a little. Tour guides, shopkeepers, old ladies and even costumed monkeys have offered us their wares, however after the initial shock of arriving at such a commercially oriented town when frankly we expected something smaller and more accessible we have settled in and really enjoyed ourselves. Even the most determined salesman tends to be good natured and is always willing to negotiate over the price, in fact the bartering process is an activity in itself which rewards the effort you put into it.

Talking of activities I have been yakking on for half a page now with no mention of all the fun stuff we have been up to. We started off with some mountain biking as we tried to make our way south to Moon Hill (a Karst with a moon shaped hole through it), unfortunately I got us lost and we ended up 5km down a really rough road and to top it Rachelle got a rock thrown at her by a small child, I was not popular. To relax the following day we took a class in Mah Jong and also learned a game with Chinese cards, we bought a pack so we will probably insist you play with us sometime and win all your money. Then in the evening we went to a light show which was very odd, spectacular but odd. I think we worked out that it was a romanticised depiction of village life set on a shallow lake in a natural ampitheatre formed by six or seven Karsts. The hills were illuminated and the lake had boats and platforms floating all over it with various people reenacting tribal weddings, fishing with cormorants etc but the real shock was the scale as over five hundred people could be performing at any one time all lit up by torches or giant spotlights.

Revitalised by our slower paced day we hopped back on the bikes again and this time found Moon Hill without either of us being hit by anything and climbed all the way to the top in sandals - not recommended. Then on Dan's recommendation we went to the water cave, a huge cave hollowed out by water that you can only get access to via a boat, it was huge (probably a km long) and spectacular. Our guide wanted us to jump in the mud pool but I satisfied myself by having a dip in a clear pool in the depths of the mountain, Rachelle had a paddle but she did cycle 20km, climb a big hill and trek through a cave so fair enough. Yesterday we tried a bit of Tai Chi which is a lot trickier than it looks but was very relaxing and then finally today we went Kayaking down the Li river for 3 hours.

Unfortunately we leave Yangshuo for Guilin tomorrow (30/10) but noone can say we have been idle while we have been here. Now it is almost 5pm and the evening is drawing in we are tired but happy and we will go out for a bite to eat and perhaps a drink or two. Next update Hong Kong - night all.

Love A & R