2 days ago we left the skyscrapers of Shanghai, and joined a sleeper train to Guilin in the Guangxi Province. The journey took 22 hours and was followed by a public bus ride for an hour and a half to the town of Yangshuo.
First the train, what is it like? Well, it is very basic, the train card has rows of bunks, 3 stacked one on top of the other, 2 rows face each other, so in essence you have groups of 6 bunks. The is one corridor along the left side of the train just wide enough for 1 person to stand or sit, and this is where you pass the time, making pot noodles, talking, looking out the window etc. How do you make dinner? Well there is boiling hot water at the end of each car, so either you make noodles, or you bring something ready made to eat on the train. There is no privacy, which is good and bad. The good is you get to hang out with fellow travelers/ locals and talk, play cards etc. The bad is "there is no privacy". Also if you are unfortunate to be near the end of a car then you have to deal with the odor or the toilets and people standing in the door smoking all day/ night. All in all a pretty rough experience, but you don't really have much choice if you want to get into rural china.
We are hear now and it is an amazing setting, we are sitting on the Li River, surrounded by soaring limestone peaks wherever you look. After a very late night out on the town yesterday, we spent today walking the town, and taking in the vistas. Tomorrow morning we plan to get up early and learn some Tai Chi, and then in the afternoon we make our way into the rice lands of China and what is supposed to be some of the most beautiful scenery in the country.
PS. I will write a post on Shanghai when I get a chance to upload photos and video...
Ryan
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