Yangshuo is about 45 miles from Guilin and takes approximately 90 minutes by car depending on traffic. We arranged for a driver from Guilin to take us to Yangshuo. Some people take a scenic boat ride which travels down the Li River from Guilin and takes about three and a half hours. We decided to try a shorter boat ride on the river from Yangshuo once when we were there.
This provides an idea of the distance we traveled by train (not by car, but the map wouldn’t show train) from Zhuhai which is just across the border from Macau.
Our hotel, The Tea Cozy Hotel, was lovely and quaint. We had a family room and the kids had their own balcony. The views were gorgeous from the fifth floor (no elevator). We were pleased with our family room which provided separate bedrooms, but we had to share a bathroom with the kids which is generally problematic.
The woman who ran the hotel was very friendly and accommodating. She provided additional information about the area while we enjoyed a lovely cup of ginger tea by the fireplace. We went for a stroll along the pedestrian path that follows the Yulong River which you could see from our balcony. This is a small river that eventually meets up with the Li River. We captured some stunning photos. We even had some company along the way.
The next day we got a ride to Xingping, an ancient town where we could access small boats that tour the Li River. When I say small, I mean small. They are more like small floating pontoon boats (or rafts) with two small benches with seating for only four adults. The driver stands in the back and guides the boat. Tours started at 11:00 after the larger river tour boats have passed through. The tour lasts about an hour….30 minutes down the river and then we turned around to return. This particular area is quite scenic and is also famous because the image from the 20 yuan note is from this location.
This is the scene from the 20 yuan note above.
After our boat tour, we explored the ancient town of Xingping and had some lunch.
The weather was beautiful the next day. We really lucked out for this time of year. Maeve and I went for a long bike ride along the Yulong River in the opposite direction of our walk the prior day. We saw even smaller ‘boat’ rides for the more adventurous folks. I think we were fine on the bikes. We stopped a few times along the way to snap some pictures.
In the evening we went to a show called Impression Sanjie Liu. I haven’t seen anything like it. It took five years to develop the show. The performance was outside and involved hundreds of performers near and on the water (the Li River). The show was broken into seven chapters with different themes like legends of the scenery, folk songs and fishing. Seating was interesting. You paid more to sit higher up and further back. That made some sense in the covered areas if you were cold, but you were much further away. Also, there seemed to be extreme cultural differences on how to behave during a performance. I was not surprised at all of the cameras and selfies, but the amount of talking was crazy. Parents said nothing to small children talking loudly. I gave a few looks, but to no avail. That said, it was a great experience and I really enjoyed the unique performance within the stunning backdrop of the mountains. The choreography was fascinating. I do not think my video does it any justice, but it gives an idea.
In this last video, the performers were covered in lights. Again, the video does not do justice to the visual spectacle. The entire show was incredibly unique. The venue, performers and choreography were superb.
When we returned, the other guests at the hotel were getting ready for their New Year’s Eve party. The hotel was hosting a BBQ and we were invited. We joined and were welcomed with warm wine…even Liam got some. They had started earlier and were dancing. We felt a little awkward, but we ate a bit before returning to our room. At midnight we watched local fireworks from our balcony. We had a lovely time and even played cards together. It was nice to welcome in 2020 as a family.
Michael and I went for a walk on our last full day there. It was another gorgeous day. We saw a couple singing with a speaker beside the river. Unexpected and beautiful.
This was a lovely hotel and a lovely trip with the kids. I wish we were able to travel more from here. We are hopeful to be able to go somewhere new before the year ends.