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Guilin is known for its river, called the River Li.
And, the Li River is known for its beautiful mysterious landscapes of
the surrounding mountains. We took an idyllic cruise through these
beautiful gorges.
I
enjoyed seeing all the sights along the river. There are many villages
along the water.
This
is a rich agricultural region. Here, the people are growing oranges - a
favorite for New Year's celebrations that just past.
The
water buffalo are used both for pulling carts and plows as well as for
food and leather.
The
misty mountains are the traditional view of this river area.
Interestingly, this river is VERY shallow. We scraped on the bottom
several times during the trip. In fact, there were four boats that
didn't make it to our destination because one boat got stuck on the
bottom and the three boats behind him couldn't get by. Glad it wasn't
us!!
These
folks are on the back of one boat fixing lunch that is part of the trip.
There were very few Europeans any place we went. So, everything was
authentic Chinese - from the food to the squat "facilities" - and don't
forget your own TP!


Had to give you a couple more of these fabulous mountain
views.
We
toured Guilin city (it is an island around which flow several rivers).
They have it all lit up at night and it's a fun cruise.
The
pagodas and the hotels are beautiful at night.
The
area around Guilin is also very lovely in the daytime.
This
is Elephant Trunk Hill on the left. If you don't see it you won't do
well in the many aspects of Chinese culture that ask you to use your
imagination and see various objects in the natural surroundings. I think
I finally see the elephant.
On
the left is the Reed Flute Cave, named for a reed that grows outside and
is made into a flute. It's a huge cave and from someone that does NOT
like caves, we loved it.
As
you see, they have the cave lit up in many beautiful colors. They're big
on what the various shapes remind them of. I just like to see the
natural phenomena.
There
was a lot of air blowing through the spaces, so you didn't feel
claustrophobic. Also, some of the spaces were quite large.
You can see I was taken by this cave. Pretty neat!

We
toured many parks in the region. These ladies on the right are wearing
native costumes. The silver headdresses are from the Miao people. There
are 55 ethnic minorities in China, making up 8.4% of the population. 53
have their own language.

Even
though it was early spring (March) the flowers were coming out.

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