We are loving Yangshuo, it is absolutely amazing!

We both got a great nights sleep last night, I think we are finally over our jet lag and adjusted to "China time".

We didn't really have any thing planned for today. We had a nice breakfast around the corner from our hotel, then came back and turned some laundry in.

We decided we'd continue to explore Yangshou, and we started our day by doing a little souvenir shopping at some of the vendors set up along the river walkway. I bargained hard and managed to get most items for about half of their initial asking price. A quick trip back to the hotel to drop off packages, and we are on the streets again. We walked along the river for a few blocks, enjoying the pretty scenery and the boat traffic on the river.

We came to the river ferry terminal,and there were several vendors set up to entice the tourists getting on and off the boat. Nothing that we haven't seen before, but I did bargain hard and bought a small hand carved spoon made from oxen horn.

Soon the covered market ended, but we continued walking along the river. The views were beautiful, and we stopped many times to just soak in the beautiful scenery and take pictures.

We walked a big loop back to town and found a small cafe for lunch. We ordered noodles and dumplings again, and they were just OK. Since we've been in Yangshuo we've found that most dishes are very oily, and we're not liking that so much.

After our lunch we walked to the other end of town--new territory for us. We found a pretty park and decided to walk through the park. It was nicely landscaped and had some interesting statues.

We noticed a path that looked like it wound around a steep karst. Earlier we'd noticed a small temple at the top, and we were curious to see if the path led up to the temple.

Well, once again we were in luck! A nice lady must have noticed us looking for the path, and she tried to explain to us where the path went. We weren't sure if we understood her, so she insisted on showing us, and she walked all the way to the top with us! It was a pretty good hike up some very steep stone stairs, and she was so concerned that I go slowly and rest often. I must be looking fairly decrepit these days! She was so kind and friendly, and we had a great time with her. She was thrilled when we asked to take her picture, and I told her I would tell my family about how kind she was.

Once again, a chance encounter with a lovely stranger just made our day! We have enjoyed the very friendly locals in this small town. Once we are away from the couple of very touristy streets we seem to be a bit of a novelty, as there are not many American (or caucasion) tourists) in Yangshuo. We always get many smiles and hellos. Often we've been approached by parents wanting to proudly show us their babies!

After that climb up to the temple we thought it was time for a sit down break and a cold beverage. We walked back into town, found a small bar with outside seating and realxed over a cold beer. We talked about how lucky we are to travel together, see the world and meet such wonderful people.

We were surprised when we check the time--it was almost 7:00! Where had our day gone? Time flies when your having fun--and we definately had fun today!

After our cold beer, we walked around and looked at a few menus, finally settling on a nice looking place with outdoor seating. The menu listed some interesting choices, and we tried a few new dishes. The stuffed snails were really delicious! But once again, we were disappointed that a couple of dishes were so oily.

We were ready to call it a day, and it was a short walk back to our hotel. We turned in early--we have any adventurous day planned for tomorrow!

Tomorrow in Yangshuo: We are spending the day with Amy. We are hoping to float the river, keep your fingers crossed for good river conditions! We'll also visit the weekly market in Fuli Village and explore the countryside around Yangshuo.