Hotel Food in Yangshuo

For our last two lunches in Yangshuo, we decided to eat at our hotel for two reasons: 1) Our breakfasts in the past couple mornings have been surprisingly good; and 2) We didn't want to waste time driving into the center of town and wandering for a place to eat. We wanted to maximize our time after lunch.

Just like with breakfast, our lunches were satisfying. All the ingredients tasted like they either came fresh from the market or straight from the farms. The execution of the food was delicious, too. On top of the that, we enjoyed eating in a nice atmosphere with the most beautiful view of the mountains.

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This post concludes my trip to Yangshuo! On to the next adventure!

Local Dessert in Yangshuo

Having about 15 minutes before our ride back to the airport, we decided to eat some more! We stopped by the River View Dessert House for some Hot Osmanthus Syrup with Glutinous Rice Balls. This is one of my favorite Chinese desserts. It's warm, light, and comforting. Osmanthus has such a unique fragrance and fruitful taste. If I ever have the chance during a fall season, I would love to visit a town, like Yangshuo, full of Osmanthus blossoms.

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A Great Find for Dinner at West Street, Yangshuo

On our second night in Yangshuo, we walked all around West Street evaluating the restaurants for a nice, authentic dinner. A lot of the restaurants were Western cuisine or loud bars. Others were places that served both Chinese and Western cuisines. After circling the streets twice, we came across a nice restaurant, called Lung Kee, that had seating outside by the river. And, the menu looked pretty authentic and local. The food was so good, that on our third and last night we came back here again!

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Late Night Dinner in West Street, Yangshuo

After watching Zhang Yimou's Impressions, it was late and we were more than ready for dinner. Our driver dropped us off at West Street because a couple restaurants were still open (it was past 11pm at this point). After walking past a few restaurants, we decided on one that had the most appealing menu (plus, we didn't want to walk any further because we were too hungry).

It was a nice find! The menu had an extensive list, and we made sure to have Yangshuo's signature dish for our first meal: beer fish. We discovered that much of this southern Chinese cuisine is filled with chilies and spice!

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West Street, Yangshuo

Even though Yangshuo can be considered part of "rural China," the town has a history of generating a large number of tourists each year (over 100,000). So much so, since the 80s, the oldest street, which is about 1400 years old, developed into the tourist hub. West Street has been known as a foreigners haven. Local food, mostly western food, bars, and souvenir shops are all along the street to attract tourists.

We grabbed a ride each night to West Street to have some dinner. Before I get into the meals, here are some photos of the scene at West Street.

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Getting Lost

In planning this trip, Alvin told me, "Let's rent some bikes in Yangshuo and get lost!" On our last day, we unintentionally did just that. We got lost, with a map. Our plan was to bike along the river and visit the local villages. Thanks to Alvin's proficiency in Mandarin and to helpful locals, we eventually found our way along the river. We came across a small limestone cave and Mushan Village, where the houses date back to 500 years ago.

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Sunset in Xing Ping

While walking through Xing Ping we saw the sky starting to change colors, so we hurriedly ran to the river to enjoy the sunset. Sunsets have become one of my favorite sights to do when traveling around the world. It's so unique in each city and on each day. To see the sun drop behind these mountain formations and reflect on the river was breathtaking.

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Osmanthus Wine in Xing Ping

Along our walk through Xing Ping, we passed by an osmanthus wine factory, where they produced and sold local osmanthus wine. Osmanthus trees and flowers bloom in the fall in this area, when I heard is a beautiful time of the year to visit. Aside from tea flowers and in desserts, the osmanthus flowers are also used to produced wine.

It's a sweet wine, as sweet as a dessert wine but not as thick and heavy. This particular batch that we tasted was so smooth, light, and refreshing! We promised the ladies of the factory and ourselves that we would stop by before they closed. Unfortunately, we got there just after it closed! We bought a few cheaper bottles in the market across the street - it was just not the same. It was rough and cheap tasting. Next time I encounter a variety of osmanthus wine, I'll definitely invest in a quality bottle.

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A Walk Back in Time in Xing Ping

After lunch, we arranged for a hotel car to drive us one hour north to the town of Xing Ping, which still has structures over 500 years old! And, the locals still live in this dwellings! We visited a fishing village, where Bill Clinton and his family visited in 1997. (Speaking of former President Clinton, it was his birthday yesterday and I found his birthday wish very inspiring.)

For the rest of the afternoon we enjoyed leisurely walking through Xing Ping amongst the tourists and locals alike.

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Bamboo Rafting along the Li River

Another main tourist activity in Yangshuo is Bamboo Rafting down the Li River. This is definitely a great activity to take in the beautiful sights all along the river. Our rafter held a long bamboo stick to guide us along the river. Most of the river is so shallow that the stick barely went deep into the water before hitting the surface. If you go, get ready to get your feet wet!

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Cormorant Fishing in the Li River

Aside from seeing Zhang Yimou's "Impressions", another recommended night time activity was to see the cormorants fish in the Li River. We got on a boat and watched first hand how the cormorant birds swam around the shallow waters and fished. Their necks are tied a bit so they don't fully swallow the fish they catch. The fishermen then get the bird from the water and shake out the fish from its throat and into a basket - cormorant fishing! It was fascinating to see this all in person.

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Climbing to the Moon (Moon Hill, that is)

After getting some sustenance in our bodies, we were ready to trek up Moon Hill! 380 m, and 800 steps up! A sweaty and tiresome walk especially in the heat; but wow, what a worthwhile sight from the top!

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Moon Hill Cafe

After the Gaotian market and our walk through Longtan village, we decided to grab a bite before trekking up Moon Hill. So we ate at Moon Hill Cafe - a tourist restaurant right next to the entrance of Moon Hill. The food wasn't spectacular, but all the ingredients were so fresh tasting! It was really straight from the farm to the table.

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Longtan Village

On our ride back from the Gaotian market, we took a spontaneous turn into a side street. After crossing a bridge, we biked even further and found ourselves in Longtan village. The village is named after the pond, Dragon Pond. The locals still live in these houses which are about 500 years old!

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Gaotian Market

On our first full day, we grabbed a few of the hotel bikes and headed out. Our first stop was the market! We heard that a town, Gaotian, about 3 km away was having their bi-monthly Wednesday market. We had to go! I love visiting markets in different countries because it represents the food culture of that region and the nation.

For such a small town, this market had some of the freshest and biggest vegetables! I'm glad we saw this market at the beginning of our trip because throughout our stay I was so excited to order vegetables. The locals here really live by the saying, "Grow local. Eat local." When you have food this fresh, you really don't find the desire to consume processed or adulterated foods. This is real food.

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Zhang Yimou's Impressions

Because of work and traveling, I was unable to really research much for this particular trip. Thanks to Alvin, he knew exactly what we should squeeze into our four days. So on our first night, we bought tickets for the Light Show. At first, I had no idea what to expect. All I knew is that I spent 198RMB (about $30 USD). That's a lot of money for one show in the middle of rural China, so I was clearly anxious to see what I had spent my money on. As soon as we arrived at our destination, I was getting slightly relieved - the structures that welcomed us were impressive.

And then the show began. WOW. This was a Zhang Yimou production!! Zhang Yimou as in the world renowned director of the films House of Flying Daggers and Hero. And, as in the guy who directed the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Yeah, that genius.

In 2004, he directed the show "Impressions" here Yangshuo. It became such a success that there are now five "Impressions" shows throughout China - each one with a different story reflective on its setting. To say I was blown away would be an understatement. I have seen some amazing productions - Broadway shows in Manhattan, Vegas Cirque de Soleil productions, San Francisco plays, musicals, and operas....This puts them all to shame. There were no jaw-dropping stunts. The awe factor of this production was in the use of the natural environment and of the endless upon endless performers (600+ performers!!). Yimou's style focuses on color themes and on nature. Both were evident in this production. At least four color themes were boldly presented (red, green, blue, silver). As for nature - he used the river AS the stage. The Li River!! Performers balanced on rafts! Plus, the beauty of how the hills and mountains were lit just added to the beauty of the "stage."

What a privilege to see a Zhang Yimou production in person! I highly recommend this show to everyone!! And if not this particular one in Yangshuo, he has four other productions in Lijiang, Hangzhou, Hainan, and Mount Wuyi - all in China.

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Destination: Yangshuo, China

Just after settling down from our last trip around the Philippines, Alvin and I started planning for our next adventure. This time: China! For the past year, he had mentioned that he's always wanted to see Guilin at some point in his life. This area in China is a famous setting for classic Chinese art pieces. Well, seize the moment and here we were!

Along with another friend, the three of us decided to get away from the bulk of the tourists and spend all our days in Yangshuo, about an hour's drive away from Guilin. Yangshuo is a tourist destination, but much of the beauty is away from the center of the city where you can watch and interact with locals living their lives in "rural China."

If you're the kind of traveler who loves adventure - biking, hiking, getting on rafts and boats - then I highly recommend putting Yangshuo on your list of places to visit. The scenery was picturesque and amazingly endless! Over the next two weeks, I'll be featuring entries from this trip.

Here are pictures from the moment we landed, as well as a feature of our hotel. Place your cursor on "Notes" to read more about each picture.

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