GUILIN TOUR: Spring 2004

This is a continuation from our Mao Ping Visit - Back to the city to stay the night and then the rest of the group goes back to Hong Kong while Billy and I hitch up with two wonderful girls who had helped with the translating in the village. Both girls live in China, did graduate work at Columbia Univ in NYC and are fluent in both Mandarin and English. What great guides - we were able to go places and see things that we never could have done without someone to speak the language. You can get around Hong Kong fine with no Chinese but not at all in the parts of China where we were.The girls arranged a 3 day tour - lodging, meals, van, driver, guide - underground cave, waterfall, park, lake, ancient village, shopping - a wonderful experience and 2 new friends. We learned so much about China - politics, religion, economics by talking with the girls.

Photo Gallery: click to see larger image.

walking through a cave behind the waterfall was really neat.

Everyone has to have their picture taken in front of the waterfall.

Largest waterfall in China.

600+ year old walled village.

You can tell the size of the cauldron from the car tire that it is resting on.

Billy gets his fortune told - for extra money she will 'fix' any bad things that she found in the reading.

Stone wall in an old village - the mortar is made of rice.

Bopping around the park on our 4 pedal bike.

Kite flying in a local park outside the city of Guiyang.

Beautiful vegetables in the restaurant kitchen.

A cook prepares our lunch at a roadside restaurant.

Yes, that really is a refrigerator and tv balanced on a motorbike.

Bicycles in China carry everything!

Family washing in the river running through the town of Leishan.

An old but accurate way of weighing items.

Yes, this really is in English. Many signs have letters mixed up and interesting translations.

Many men and women carry these baskets with vegies, flowers and other items.

See the various types of transportation and this shot doesn't show the carts, bikes and 3-wheeled taxis.

This lady was walking along the side of the road going ????

Sometimes the traffic rules are a bit lax.

In a pond of color with lily pads and lotus flowers.