Yangshuo and the Limestone Landscape

Arriving in Yangshuo

“Is this landscape even real?” – I could not stop wondering since we left Guilin. Cruising down the Li river to Yangshuo was fun and enjoyable but only when I got a chance to explore countryside around Yangshuo and Xingping I was blown away by my new surroundings – the limestone mountains and winding rivers were spectacular.Yangshuo, the town itself was a tourist trap with many hotels and restaurants where you have to pay through the nose for anything so Marianna and I had to be careful about our choices of places to eat. The time when I felt like I was robbed though was when I absolutely needed to do my laundry. Most of my clothes got soaked in Guilin and nothing was drying because of the humidity. What can you do? Well.. you can certainly start a bit of an argument about outrageous prices and hope that if you play hardball you can get a discount. It worked but to be fair washed, dried and nicely folded clothes are priceless when there is nothing else in your backpack that you could potentially wear.

Moon Hill a pretty incredible hill with a natural arch and a moon-shaped hole was one of my highlights while staying in Yangshuo. It looked a little bit like a doughnut to me but maybe the Western food deprivation was already kicking in? Even though it was not a difficult hike, there were approximately 800 steps (I did not count only trusted the signs) that led to the viewing platform and they can get very slippery when it is raining so extra caution is needed. Girls! No high heels!

Moon Hill

Yangshuo was also a special place during my trip as I could spend time with Marianna and my other school friend Tomasz, who has been living in picturesque Zhaoqing for the last few years. It was our small reunion and I was over the moon (again!) that we could hang out.

Wada Hostel in Yangshuo was cosy, friendly and just perfect for us. It was located round the corner from the West Street, a popular tourist spot and the Li river. One evening it was raining heavily so we decided to stay in for dinner and we did not regret it. The food they cooked for us was fantastic and we had more time to catch up. A win-win situation!