After an amazing few days in Yangshuo, we bused it back to Guilin for our final two nights in China. We thought we'd check out the Longji Rice Terraces the next day, however we found out that the terraces had been recently harvested, which meant the views were not spectacular. The terraces are also about a 2.5 hour drive away, and require a private driver for the day (if you don't want to go on the organized tour, which we didn't). So, we decided to pass on this altogether and spend the day kicking around Guilin.
Here are a few of the things we saw in this mid-sized city in south-central China.
Here are a few of the things we saw in this mid-sized city in south-central China.
Our hotel, the Guilinyi Royal Palace, was set in a botanical garden. Here's an old fashioned ferris wheel located near the park.
These two tower pagodas - The Sun and Moon Pagoda - are iconic symbols of Guilin. The pagoda on the left is surrounded by water and can be reached via a tunnel. It's notable for being made of copper, and for being the world's only pagoda with an elevator.
A sign near the pagodas. Apparently bicyclists are not allowed, but ninjas are just fine.
One of Guilin's four lakes, with the karst peaks in the distance
Temple Buffet
We had read about a great vegetarian restaurant in downtown Guilin so we decided to check it out. We found it behind one of the Buddhist temples which didn't surprise us as we have learned that most vegetarian restaurants in China cater to monks. The place was was jammed packed with people. We figured it must be good if all the locals were flocking there so we gave it a try!
We had read about a great vegetarian restaurant in downtown Guilin so we decided to check it out. We found it behind one of the Buddhist temples which didn't surprise us as we have learned that most vegetarian restaurants in China cater to monks. The place was was jammed packed with people. We figured it must be good if all the locals were flocking there so we gave it a try!
For dinner, we found this restaurant hidden within the a Buddhist temple. There was some sort of festival going on at the temple, so the restaurant was featuring an all-you-can-eat buffet for about $4. We decided to check it out. The place was packed with locals - and us.
Chris trying to blend in.
I was very excited about the food. All vegetarian so I didn't have to worry about chicken or other mystery meat!
People were lighting lots of candles for the temple festival on our way out from dinner.
Tea Ceremony
We had been in China for 2 weeks and had not yet attended a tea ceremony. We had to try it before we left, so we stopped by our hotel's beautiful tea house one night.
We had been in China for 2 weeks and had not yet attended a tea ceremony. We had to try it before we left, so we stopped by our hotel's beautiful tea house one night.
Our hotel had its own traditional tea house, which we decided to try out after returning from dinner. Here is the tea house by day.
Our table setting. We really enjoyed the entire experience - especially all the detail that went into making the tea.
Making our tea was an involved process. First she put the loose tea leaves into the clay pot and then cleaned them with boiling water. Next, she poured the water into a vented tray. Then she poured more boiling water into the tea pot and let it sit and poured hot water into our cups to warm them and clean them. After a few minutes she strained the tea and poured it into the glass pot which she used to serve us. We tried the local black tea which was quite good.
Trying the tea. Each cup is so tiny and only holds a few sips! We read that it's rude if you make a noise when you place your tea cup down so we were being extra careful!
View from our room at the Guilinyi Royal Palace
And thus our China adventure had drawn to a close. We headed out the next morning for Thailand. We really enjoyed our time in China and learned a lot. Some things surprised us, and some were expected. We'll break it all down in our next post!
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