Sunset at YVR

On my way to the gym today, the sky was an incredible blood red color. I had just enough time to grab my camera and drive out to the airport to get this shot before it faded away. Most sunsets in Vancouver just fade out into gray clouds, so this was a rare sight.

Equality

Out here in the countryside, the women seem to do all the hard work, while the men sit around and smoke cigarettes.


Words fail to describe the awesomeness of this picture.

Reed Flute Cave

The sheer size of this cave is pretty amazing. It looks like several football fields can fit inside. The artificial lighting is pretty cheesy, but I guess it's better than not being able to see anything in the dark.

 

The cave is about 3 miles north of the city center of Guilin. It took about 15 minutes on a motorcycle carrier. The guy drove us there, waited till we were done, then drove us back to the city. All for 3RMB (~40cents). Gas must've cost more than that!

"Horses will not commit suicide"

 
As we were riding along a narrow path with a cliff drop off on one side, the guide said "don't worry, horses will not commit suicide." That's a good thing to know! Also, it is very difficult to hang on to a camera while trying to ride a horse at the same time. When we were galloping, I almost had to make the choice between saving the camera, or my neck.


A short hike up a steep hill reveals the city of Lijiang below. I wish I'd brought a real camera on this trip instead of relying on this crappy video camera to take stills.

Tiger Leaping Gorge

1) Place statue of tiger near a gorge.
2) Give the place a catchy name like Tiger Leaping Gorge.
3) Charge admission.
4) Profit!

 

 
How many tourists unknowingly walk off the end of these stairs each year?

Which way do I go now?

Tibetan Culture

 
Tibetan houses all look exactly the same - 2 levels with massive wooden posts. They put rocks on the roof to keep the shingles in place. Interesting. Is it because rocks are free and nails aren't?

 
I wish I had one of those furry hats. I was completely unprepared to be in sub-zero temperatures. I wore every single piece of clothing I had with me. None of the buildings have insulation, so it's just as cold inside as it is outside. I would've frozen to death were it not for the electric heating pads they use to keep warm at night.

The Air is Thin Up Here

I didn't realize how high we were. Zhongdian sits at 10,500ft. This picture was taken from the window of our car - not an airplane! For comparison:

Rogers Pass, BC: 4,400ft
Denver, Colorado: 5,280ft
Peak of Whistler/Blackcomb: 7,160ft
Lhasa, Tibet: 12,000ft
Everest: 29,000ft

 

We pulled over the side of the road to get a better look at this mountain peak. I wanted a more unobstructed view, so I decided to run up the side of this road embankment. Halfway up, I remembered that we're at over 10,000ft, and should probably take it easy, so I walked the rest of the way up. I probably could've used one of those oxygen cans at this point. It was a lot scarier on the way down - the ledge was only a foot wide and it would've been a nasty tumble onto the freeway had I fallen.

Shangri-La

Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon, by author James Hilton. It is a place of utopia - an earthly paradise.


Well, this is Shangri-La, China!

Honestly, this is the biggest scam ever. The city of Zhongdian officially renamed itself Shangri-La in 2001. I don't know how many tourists have been roped in to this trick, but count me in as another sucker. There is really nothing worth seeing in Zhongdian - I refuse to call it Shangri-La. It is an insult to the beautiful hotel chain. If it were up to me, I'd name the city "Motel 6".


This is a picture I took in 2004 from the Shangri-La in Cebu, Philippines. Now, that's what I'm talking about!

Lijiang "Old" Town

 
After another full day of traveling by plane and bus, we are at Lijiang, Northwest Yunnan. The main attraction here is the Old Town and the colorful dresses of the traditional Naxi residents. I have a rather cynical outlook on what I see here.

 

The "Old Town" is supposedly hundreds of years old, and has survived a major earthquake here in 1996. But just by looking around, I can see that everything is newly built - just disguised in the "old style" architecture. It's totally just a tourist attraction - much like Disneyland! I confirmed this when talking to a local cab driver, who told me that most of the buildings in the Old Town were added in recent years.

Stick a fork in me - I'm done

It's ironic how I took the time to take a picture of this exact bowl of noodles, because it got me so sick that it put me out of commission for the next 4 days. Maybe if I look hard enough, I can find the bug in the soup? I seriously thought I was going to die - I got the shivers one night and had to take an hour-long hot shower to get my core temperature back up. The noodles weren't even that good!

One huge mistake

Back on the streets of Yangshuo, I was watching this military guy get a haircut from a "barber" on the street. There were barber shops all over town, but I thought this would be more interesting. It only cost me 30cents to get this haircut, but my hair now looks like a rice bowl. Doh!

Cormorant Fishing

This was really cool - as seen on Survivor China. They tie a noose around these birds and let them go hunt for fish. They can't swallow their catch, so we get to eat it instead. Sometimes, life's just not fair.

 
 
The light is to guide the birds back to the boat. I asked a local if he still fishes this way, and he told me he has a better method - drop an electric heater into the river and electrocute the fish. I asked him to show me, but since it's illegal, he'll only do it in the middle of the night.

Down the Li River

An hour bus ride away from Yangshuo is the village of Xing Ping. We met a couple of students on their way home and they took us to their house, which conveniently, is also a little guest house.


The scenery as depicted on the back of the 20RMB bill. I think whoever drew it took some artistic liberties.

 
 

Nice bike ride

I was surprised to make it back to Yangshuo town without getting lost (with no GPS)! It was a nice half hour bike ride through scenic countryside.

 

Bike rentals 10RMB, lunch 5RMB. A whole day's worth of entertainment for a twoonie! Not bad.

Runaway bull mayhem

Okay, so it was actually a pretty slow water buffalo.

Bamboo Rafting

These rafts are more stable than I thought! I paid a guy 80RMB to paddle me down the river, but ended up doing a lot of the paddling myself while the guy smoked and talked on his cell phone. Well, at least when this challenge comes up again on the Amazing Race, I'll be ready.

 


An old lady selling fruit for 1RMB. Felt terrible for her...she shouldn't be working at that age. But now, I've got a pomelo to carry around the rest of the day.

Backpacking in Yangshuo

I was shocked to find so many foreigners in this tiny little town in the middle of China. It's very backpacker-friendly. Most restaurants on the main street (West St.) have English menus.

 

The cobblestoned streets, mountains, and rivers, all remind me of Whistler Village back in Canada. Except here, you can find a decent room for 85RMB (~$12/night). We stayed at the "Holiday Inn" - no affiliation with the real hotel chain.