Stereotypes run both ways. The last two days our hotels did not have a
breakfast buffet; the first day they only served noodles to the Chinese guests, the second day
(today) we were the only ones around so we don’t know what they were serving
others, but likely noodles. Your guide
was adamant that he know the time we wanted to have breakfast each morning, apparently so
he could arrange to have our Western breakfast ready for us when we came
down. First day we got steak and eggs
(don’t forget, Paul is a vegetarian and I don’t eat meat in China), served with
coffee…which neither of us drink. Today
they gave us a fried egg and a banana “pancake”…pretty decent crepe with four
small rounds of banana baked in, and, again, coffee.
Then it was the 3 hour drive back to Guilin. After lunch we toured the Reed Flute
Cave. It was very beautiful (lots of
colored lights to highlight various formations).
There were some great reflecting pools in the cave.
Dave said that during World War
II the Japanese had invaded this section of China but did not know about the
cave. The cave is so large that about
2000 Chinese took refuge in the cave for several months until the Japanese
pulled out of the area.
 |
| Difficult to see view of a large cavern |
There was also a show, projected on the ceiling, that was a dramatization, complete with pre-historic animals, of the formation of the cave.
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The cave exit opened out on the usual shops with lots of kitschy touristy stuff. However, there was one very interesting artist who was making gorgeous ink paintings using only his hands, fingers and fingernails to make the paintings...no brushes.
We had lunch along a canal with a lovely bridge.
We also had a walk around the area of the appropriately named Elephant Hill.
One of the more unusual sites was a restaurant that had set up tables and chairs directly in the water of the river. People just rolled up their pant legs and enjoyed the cool water.
On the way to the hotel we stopped at a government
authorized silk shop and saw a demonstration about silk making and then of
course had to tour the shop. Mary had
hoped to get a chance to buy a new cover for the comforter she bought in 2009
and so this was her chance.
After dinner we took a boat cruise on the lakes in town. The first major sight was the Sun and Moon Pavilions (appropriately lit in gold and white).
The trees and buildings along the lakes were colorfully lit, in typical Chinese fashion.
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There were also a large tower,
waterwheels,
and, amazingly, totems that looked like they were from Alaska or the American Northwest. However, we were assured that they were native to this area of China.
There are a number of lovely bridges crossing the lakes...
including the "San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge"....
The "Arc de Triumph" from Paris...
and a bridge actually made entirely of glass. The lights on the bridge gradually kept changing colors, making it a particularly lovely sight.
The cruise included shore entertainments with several pavilions along the route that had singers and dancers.
And the boat stopped beside rafts with fishermen and cormorants.
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Other boats on the lake added to the overall picturesque look of the area.
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