We spent the majority of the day on the Li River near Yangshou surrounded by scenery with natural beauty that is hard to put into words. The karst mountain peaks of weathered limestone were originally the coral reefs of an ancient sea pushed upwards by seismic activity over the eons. The ethereal beauty of this splendour has drawn artists, poets and travellers to view and shower praise upon the natural wonder of these inverted parabolic mountains and the associated caves, rivers and lakes.
We drove about ten kilometres east from Yangshou to Fuli town situated on the banks of the Li River. We then boarded an old steel-hulled river boat powered by an ancient and exceedingly noisy diesel engine and headed downstream at a very gentle pace with the spectacular scenery on either side.
At every bend there was something special to catch one’s attention whether it be a new mountain peak, wading water buffaloes or locals fishing from bamboo rafts. The breathtaking scenery was a delightful change of scene compared to the gargantuan cities of Kunming, Xi'an and Beijing.
Karst mts from ferry terminal, Yangshuo
Group on the ferry, Li River, Yangshuo
Karst mts, Li River, Yangshuo
Karst mts #14, Li River, Yangshuo
Fishermen, Li River, Yangshuo
After about half an hour of steaming we tied up to the river bank; the river in the region we visited was a fairly constant 200 m wide.
Group disembarking from ferry at village for lunch, Li River, Yangshuo
Leaving the boat, we clambered up steps and entered an old Asian village that was comprised of traditional buildings several hundred years old intermingled with relatively modern town-houses. Between the houses were vegetable gardens and small farms with water buffaloes, pigs, hens and the inevitable mangy dogs.
Women doing washing, Li River, Yangshuo
Village men, Li River, Yangshuo
Building in the village, Li River, Yangshuo
Old wall in the village, Li River, Yangshuo
Firewood in the village, Li River, Yangshuo
Buffalo in the village, Li River, Yangshuo
Peanut & corn crops in the village, Li River, Yangshuo
In the middle of the day the conditions were hot and steamy and we sought the cover of a farmer’s cottage where we were served lunch by the farmer’s family.
Buffalo, Li River, Yangshuo
Karst mts, Li River, Yangshuo
We then undertook the return journey to Fuli and went shopping in the wharf-side tourist area where we purchased a hanging scroll depicting the karst mountains and the Li River. We also acquired some little trinkets for the grandchildren. Once back at the Li River Hotel we gathered and planned tomorrow’s various activities before heading to a nearby shop for some introductory calligraphy lessons.
This was great fun but required much practice and dexterity to manipulate the black inked brush to give the sweeping tails on each of the complex characters we attempted. We did improve a little during the hour’s lesson but not sufficiently to make our calligraphy look much more than a reasonable attempt at this appealing and artistic form of communication.
Calligraphy lesson #2, Yangshuo
We finished the day with a group dinner in a nearby restaurant and then Corinne went shoe shopping and found just what she was after; casual canvas shoes with colourful fish designs on them.
Street scene, Yangshuo
Street scene at night, Yangshuo
Tomorrow is our last day of full-on activities with another long bike ride and several short hikes to a mountain top and areas of caves. The forecast is once again for steamy, hot weather and maybe a storm later in the day. Great!!