A Slow Boat in China

Yangshuo is described as a "backpacker's paradise" and I can see why. The town is small, clean and quaint and people were incredibly friendly. The real reason though is the amazing countryside. Yangshuo sits on the River Li in the midst of karst limestone peaks (see photo along the river). We stayed in Yangshuo and traveled both up and down river on small boats (see my mom getting off of our boat at the rest stop). We left around sunrise and floated downriver until we reached a very small village. The villagers set up shop along the river bank and sold fresh fried food (crab, river shrimp, taro cakes, etc.) to the tourists for breakfast. It was wonderful.

Down river, we went to Liugong and Fuli. These were charming little riverside villages dating back to the Song dynasty. At Liugong, we spent most of the afternoon with a local woman who was teaching herself English and wanted to practice with us. We learned Chinese from her and helped her with her English (see photo with she and my sister, Debbie). We never quite figured out what "blockage potatos" were meant to be on the local menu...