Guilin

Guilin – a major tourist hot spot, some vendors sell themselves instead of watches.

Arrived in Guilin, a major tourist city and the starting point for the Li River Cruises. The Chinese are not shy about color, these metallic palm trees of different colors are in the Guilin airport.

We drove through level rice fields with mountains of Karst rising randomly in the background. We didn't stop but it seemed the farmers were using primative wooden equipment.

The Chinese are not shy about colors. Colored lights highlight the formations in this Reed Flute Cave.

These rocks are dramatically reflected in a pool in a large room of the cave.

Elephant Trunk Hill

Guilin Traffic, the black mercedes in beginning was stoppd duet to an acident, it's left front side banged in.

Tasty fruit from street vendor.

Collecting seaweed (river weed?)

View over Guilin

Playing Croquet in a courtyard on a hard surface rather than the traditional western lawn.

Bamboo fleet

Working on the River

Sword Sharpening Rock - Legend has it that a general was sent by the emperor to bring stability to the area and he worked so hard at keeping his sword sharp he wore his way through the rock.

Cormorants in waiting

An old set of houses attached to the inner city wall, still being used.

Solitary Beauty Peak

The worlds largest man made waterfall. Each evening the water falls off the top of this building in downtown Guilin causing a massive traffic jam.

Falling Water Guilin Style

The music you hear was piped into the street.

Night time in Guilin, a very popular tourist town due to its location on the Li River. There were more Chinese than westerner tourists. However westerners received special attention, I stopped counting after seven solicitations during an evening walk through the main streets.

A night marketplace selling tourist gifts.

I passed a doorway open to a badminton gym.

Li River Trip -
The next morning we began out trip down the Li River, starting about a few miles downstream of Guilin. Our boat had three levels, the first two covered.

A typical kitchen on the back of a tour boat cruising the Li River - lunch is included.

In the morning, the boats head downstream from Guilin in a single row.

Next stop Yangshuo

Or return to China