A Guide to Yangshuo Guangxi, China
Yangshuo next to the Li River, China, is the Perfect Place to Relax
Oct 16, 2008 Victoria Jamieson
Travelling in China is rewarding and exhilarating, but can be a little overwhelming at times for westerners, especially when visiting the tourist hotspots which are often in and around bustling cities. You find yourself far from the familiar comforts of home and whether you are travelling in five star luxury or backpacking, sooner or later cultural differences can become a little overwhelming. Yangshuo is one place travellers in China will find just the right mix of a relaxing tourist retreat, and a host of exciting activities and experiences.
Arriving
Although Yangshuo cannot be accessed by air or train the nearest big city, Guilin, supports both of these forms of transportation. You can, however, catch buses to Yangshuo from a wider range of starting destinations. From Guilin one of the main routes to arrive in Yangshuo is by river cruise on the Li Jiang River. When you arrive at the river dock in Yangshuo you make your way up the cobbled road way to the town and there you are immediately greeted by a wave of noise and colour as you enter the waterside street market.
A Good Nights Sleep
Yangshuo is predominately set up to accommodate backpackers, although there are a variety of other options available, and whatever type accommodation you are looking for you will find something to suit. As you explore the town you get the feeling that many of the hotels and hostels in Yangshuo could do with a little TLC, but what they lack in cosmopolitan style they certainly make up for in character, and the town itself is so welcoming it is easy to ignore a little peeling paint.
Keeping Busy Isn’t Hard
The beautiful karst scenery is one of the big draws to the area. The limestone landscape creates a topography of sink holes, caves and fluted limestone remnants. There is hiking, biking, caving, climbing and a whole host of other doing words to contemplate. Another highlight that draws visitors to Yangshuo includes the nightly cormorant fishing demonstrations. There are different views on this tradition however, meeting the fishermen and the cormorants gives a sense that there is a certain harmony to this age old partnership between bird and man. One thing that visitors to Yangshuo bring up time and time again is the cookery lessons on offer, the Cloud Nine restaurant runs an early evening course which is set on the roof terrace of the restaurant and is a real treat.
Food and Drink
There are seemingly endless options to choose from, be it flat bread sold on the street, eating your food you have prepared yourself, or the numerous western style eateries. The best way to find real Chinese food in Yangshuo is to steer away from the tourist areas and go to where the locals eat. This does however require a brave stomach as you may not always know what you’ll find around the next corner. In the main town the best bet is to try out the Chinese versions of western food, there tends to be varied accuracy on a lot of the dishes, but you will find some real gems. One particular spot that visitors mention is Drifters, famous for their apple crumble. The place to meet fellow travelers is Monkey Jane's Rooftop Bar.
Yangshuo maybe be the perfect place to relax from your travels, but it does have a little bit of adventure at its heart and can certainly keep visitors occupied. Whether for a little bit of western comfort, or time to relax and appreciate the scenery, it’s mix of old and new is sure to make you feel right at home.
Yangshuo's beautiful Landscape
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Cormorant fishing in Yangshuo
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