Li River (Li Jiang) - One of the Top Sights in China

As recommended by Rough Guides and also Askmen.com.

Think about traditional Chinese paintings of mountains and rivers, and this is what you'll see here on the Li River. Karst peaks of all shapes and sizes. The waters of the river is very clear and shallow. At this time of year (late Oct), the waters were already very low. And at many points during the cruise, the boats had to manoeuvre gingerly around the winding rivers. And the problem is compounded by the sheer number of tourist boats. It's like an armada of Chinese tourists. I thought the golden week was just over 2 weeks ago!

So, I paid 240Y for this cruise and carried my backpack with me as I intended to stay in Yangshuo and not return to Guilin. My boat had 2 storeys: lower level for sitting and eating, upper level for sight see. There are 3-level boats too, but are generally about the same size. 240Y included lunch. But once the cruise starts, the guide will give a talk on the special fish and produce that's only found in this river, and recommends everyone to order their special lunch now in order to have this once in a lifetime taste. It turned out that the lunch that came with the ticket price was very simple: just rice, eggs, bean sprouts, some chicken. It's worse than army food back in my BMT.

Throughout the cruise, I carried my backpack with me. Reason? Another lone Chinese backpacker was doing the same. I suppose he knows better. I wouldn't want to end up losing my clothes or backpack. I didn't even buy travel insurance!

The mountains were really of all shapes. And many had a special name, like 9-Horses Painting Mountain and Waiting For Husband Mountain. Basically, the Chinese had really wonderful imaginations (and lots of time to stare at mountains). The mountains were named after the objects or people they resembled. The 9-Horses Painting Mountain even had a story: only the brightest minds can see all 9 horses. It's a bit like those optical illusion graphics. You really had to bend your mind to see the horses. This cruise is famous because even Bill Clinton took this cruise when he visited while he was still president.

The cruise started about 9am, and it was 4pm by the time we reached Yangshuo because of all the "traffic jams". I'll say the cruise was the highlight of the China trip so far. Though full of boats and tourists, it was still a nice, relaxing cruise in the China countryside, with unique landscape. Too bad the weather was terrible. Hazy and glaring. So my photos all turn out pretty poor.