We made it to China—a country of growth and diversity. We are now in the small hill tribe village of Tiantouzhai in Guangxi province; surrounded by what are known as the ‘Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces’. But that is another story.
This post is about how we got here: visa shopping in Hong Kong and bike riding around Yanghsuo.
Hong Kong
Eli here.
Massive by New Zealand population standards, Hong Kong manages to pack over seven million people onto several small islands that make up the modern metropolis. Most budget accommodation is found on Nathan Road in Kowloon. Small rooms the size of bathrooms fitted with a double bed, satellite TV, an air conditioner and an en suite are common here. And that is where we stayed—all cosy like with nowhere to stand.
Our primary mission in Hong Kong was to pick up Chinese visas—a simple process that took four days and cost HKD300 for two (about AUD36). This gave us time to explore the city.
As a shopper’s paradise, Hong Kong has some of the best buys around. We spent several hours exploring shops, malls, and markets. But with limited space in our 30 litre packs, we only managed a few “necessary” purchases: some jandals and a pair of five fingers—fancy gloves for ones feet (see link).
We did get to eat though. Halal bread stuffed with potato and Chai tea for breakfast. Indian and Thai curries for dinner. We even ate Chinese dumplings at Tim Ho Wan restaurant—supposedly the worlds cheapest Michelin Star restaurant that takes about an hour to get a seat. Michelin stars are the highly sought after world standard in restaurant rankings—with the best restaurants gaining one, two, or three stars. With its one star, Tim Ho Wan’s dumplings delivered!
For one outing I thought it nice to treat Claire to a night in a half-decent hotel and a picnic on Victoria Peak—the hill at the centre of Hong Kong island that overlooks the city. The plan was romance, but the execution was anything but. First, the weather was overcast and threatening rain. Second, my knowledge of the peak’s walkways was lacking—and it showed when I led us astray several times. And third, my picnic spread was basic, included wine but no wine glasses, and got partly squashed in my bag. Lessons were learnt.
But, on the bright side, our room in the Garden View YMCA was about three times the size of our budget room the night before and there was a pool, clean fluffy towels, and a mini bar.
One evening we strolled along the Avenue of the Stars. Mimicking Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, the avenue dedicates stars to various icons of Hong Kong’s film industry—none of whom we recognised. The avenue has one major asset though: its waterfront location, which is ideal for watching the Symphony of Lights—a supposedly dazzling light and laser show involving over 20 buildings from Hong Kong’s skyline. Unfortunately, the weather did not help. Cloud obstructed our view as the buildings flashed to music in an impressive coordination effort.
On Wednesdays many Hong Kong museums are free; and our one indulgence—the Hong Kong Museum of History—was well worth the visit. From geological processes to conflicting cultures, the museum told Hong Kong’s story through film, interactive displays, and plain old relics. Bizarrely, many domestic tourists opt to view the exhibits through cameras rather than their own eyes—making it somewhat difficult to wander the museum without starring in countless videos and pictures.
Finally, after collecting our visas, it was time to leave Hong Kong for mainland China. Taking the metro to the border, we painlessly cross into Shenzhen (in Guangdong province) and board a 10 hour overnight bus to Yanghuo (in Guangxi province). Our only gripe was the five hour wait for the bus—a slight miscalculation of transit times.
Yangshuo
Claire here.
Our first stop in China was Yangshuo in Guangxi Province. Renowned for its limestone karst scenery (huge mounds of limestone jutting out of the ground) and surrounded by the Li and Yulong rivers this part of Gangxi was certainly a picturesque introduction to China.
Arriving early in the morning we settled ourselves at the Bamboo Inn right in the centre of town. After a short rest to make up for little sleep on the overnight bus we hired some bikes and set off to explore. We followed the Yulong river through the countryside along bumpy tracks to the 600 year old stone bridge called Dragons Bridge. We opted to take the more direct and smoother main road back contending with fast moving busloads of domestic (Chinese) tourists.
Yangshuo is exceedingly popular with domestic tourists. The ever expanding Chinese middle class loves to travel; although in a very different way to us. Large air conditioned buses, guides carrying flags so the group stays together, purpose built attractions, huge cameras and buying many tacky souvenirs seem to be the standard components of most of these travellers’ holidays.
The next day we again hired bikes (the roads are pretty flat in these parts making biking easy). This time we headed to Moon Hill, so named for the moon-shaped (round) hole in its side. There were many of the slightly more adventurous Chinese tourists biking around this area too; providing me with much amusement—especially the girls riding on the back of tandem bikes holding umbrellas and wearing wildly inappropriate footwear (6-inch cork platforms) while their boyfriends did all the pedalling. I reminded Eli on several occasions how lucky he was to have me as his girlfriend!
On Monday May 30th I turned 28. Eli knowing the way to my heart brought me coffee and birthday cake in bed complete with candles. Apparently it was somewhat of a struggle to get across the request for candles but after several shops and much persistence he succeeded. I then had a chance to catch up with some lovely friends and family via the wonders of skype and gmail chat.
Opting for a less physically active pursuit on my birthday, we took a bamboo boat cruise along the Li river. The bamboo boats are made of PVC pipes these days; but it was still a pleasant way to spend the afternoon amongst the huge peaks.
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Well that’s that. After the rice terraces, we are off to Yunnan province to wander Lijiang’s cobbled streets, dine in Dali’s cafes, and hike through the Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Love to all,
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