Sopa de massa / Noodle soup: Yangshuo

After Hong Kong and Macau, with my brand new 30 days visa for China I headed back to the Central Nation. This time I went to Yangshuo, a common tourist destination in the Guangxi province, after a night bus journey of more than 12 hours.

In Yangshuo I met a travel friend with who I've been travelling for some time. He and some other people were there doing a rock-climbing course. Yangshuo is a little touristy town in the middle of one of the most amazing and out-of-this-world landscapes I've ever seen. Everywhere you look you'll see tens of karsts (the strange limestone formations with vertical white walls and vegetation on top).

Karsts near by the Li river, not far from Yangshuo town centre

Bamboo rafts - one of the many tourist attractions

I was planning to stay a few days, but the heat, the laid back environment and the hostel (Carpet Diem, right outside the noisy town) made me stay there almost one week.

The view from the hostel

At night we would go to town by bicycle in complete darkness. My friend fell from his bike one day and just scratched his foot leg and arm. Getting hurt while travelling is not uncommon, specially when alcohol is involved. In town, there was a bar where all the foreigners go sooner or later, Monkey Jane Rooftop Bar, which has one of the best views ever from a rooftop bar.

Lots of Chinese go to Yangshuo to learn English. There are many westerners living there, and many stopping there during their trip to China, which allows them to practice the language with people fluent in English. For several times groups of young Chinese would come to us asking for help with their English course assignments, or just to practice.

In one of the days I joined the rock climbing guys. I used to climb when I was younger (15 years ago....*sigh*), but I kind of lost the touch (and gained some weight).