Day 22 - Cruising the river: Xingping to Yangdi

Today we took the bus to Xingping, a quiet small town about an hours bus ride out of Yangshuo. The scenery on the bus ride was thoroughly enjoyable, though we were unsure if we would ever get there as the bus crawled out of the city, in the hope of picking up more passengers. Buses leave on a 'when full' basis around here!

In Xingping, we bartered our way onto a small boat for a cruise along the Li river. While waiting for our boat, we bought a yummy fried potato-stick each, from the street stall.

The trip lasted about one hour and 20 minutes, and we got to see more of the beautiful scenery that we have been bombarded with over the last three days while in Yangshuo. We would like to say we saw 'Yellow Cloth in Water', 'Lion watching the 9 horses', 'Tortoise climbing up the hill', 'Chicken-cage hill', 'Fish-tail peak', 'Grandpa watching apple', and 'Pen-holder peak', however what we really saw was an hour and 20 minutes worth of boat-cruising beauty - the Chinese seem to have a knack for naming much of the environment, the real question is whether or not you can pick what you're meant to be looking at. We noticed that even the Chinese on our boat had no idea what they were looking at - so we just sat back and enjoyed! Of note, the gorges we travelled through is the scene on the 20 RMB (the $20 dollar note). There were a number of different types of boats to choose from, from big cruiseships with restaurants to small bamboo rafts propelled by lawnmower engines. We opted for something in the middle!

On the way to the bus station, feeling upset at not being able to climb the mountains, Adam settled for climing some of the biggest bamboo we've seen so far, which proved relatively difficult, but fun nonetheless!

After catching the bus home to Yangshuo we lazed around until dinner time. We managed to remove 8kgs of weight from our bags, which we sent to the University for storage - Adam especially will appreciate the lighter pack tomorrow when we do our first mini-trek.

For dinner Liv had another delicious pancake from the corner, and Adam treated himself to the local delicacy at the market - Beer Fish. This episode involved Adam choosing a fish from a bowl, watching it 'prepared' for eating, seeing it cooked (with an astonishing amount of chilli, and of course the beer), and then spending the next hour attempting to chopstick the way through the whole fish on his plate!

On our way home we attempted to buy fruit for our dessert, but after feeling ripped off time and time again came home empty handed for the first time. Luckily Liv has a mango in reserve upstairs!

Off to pack now, and prepare for our onward journey from here - we plan to go to Longsheng tomorrow to experience the famous rice paddies of China.

Adlibing the water-ways of the Li River

Day 21 - A deserved day of resting in Yangshuo

After our mammoth day adventuring yesterday, we decided to wander the streets, take in the views, and get a few errands done - in short, we took today much slower!

Breakfast (or lunch if you like ...) was delicious savoury, crispy pancakes filled with egg, spring onion, 'sauce', some crispy thing, and lettuce from the corner street vendor - ultra yum! Liv's already dreaming about them for breakfast tomorrow!!

We then went to find the Green Lotus Peak to climb - and although we got to see the peak itself from many different vantage points, finding the entrance was another story. We'd walk down one street to be told to walk down another, and then directed back to the last! If the locals didn't know where to go, then we sure didn't either!! What we did achieve on this walk was to take in some great views of the Li River and the orgainsed mess of the (hundreds?) of cruise boats lining the river banks.

We also got Adam's money belt fixed by a lady sitting on the corner of the street with her industrial sewing machine, made a short (but always uplifting) phone call to Liv's home from the pay phone in the rain, and collected a box (to the locals' amusement) from the side of the street to post some unneeded and weighty gear to our soon-to-be home at Shandong University - Adam especially deserves the weight break from his pack!

Dinner was simple - vege dumplings (something we are beginning to love) and scrambled eggs with spring onion - and then a wander of the night markets for our nightly dessert of fruit. Liv got mangoes (though mini-mangoes this time, which are super-sweet - yum) and Adam something that resembles a big light-yellow pear but tastes like a melon.

Back to the hostel for furture adlibing plans ...

Day 20 - Bicycling Yangshuo Countryside

We woke up early (well early for us, being very leisurely travellers) this morning for our first bicycle trip in China. After renting great bikes from the hostel we headed to the bakery to stock up on supplies for breakfast and lunch, and headed towards what we thought was Yueliang Shan (Moon Hill). After half an hour we realised we weren't getting into territory the Lonely Planet described so stopped for directions - which resulted in a complete turn around and another half hour ride to the beginning! Adam always encourages a warm-up ...

Eventually on the right track was passed the Butterfly Spring and made our way to Yueliang Shan - an amazing peak that has a moon-shaped hole, that can be a quarter-to-full moon depending on your vantage point. After walking the 1200+ steps we enjoyed the resulting view from 'inside' the moon - and then trucked on to the top of the 'moon' for even more spectacular views. From here we could spy Moon Hill village and a 1500 year old Banyan tree.

After a slip-in-slide journey back down we headed back towards the Yulong river for a nice, gentle bicycle ride - yeah right! Once we got to the river we stopped for a watermelon break - to revive us from our effort in the heat.

From here began our off-road escapade along Yulong river. We followed the river for about half and hour without too many dramas. Our semi-plan was to bike to Yulong Qiao (Dragon Bridge) which is one of Guangxi's biggest and old at 59m long, 5m wide and 9m high, hoping along the way we would pass double-flow crossing (we weren't sure what it was yet), the village of Jiuxian and then catch a bamboo raft back. That plan changed when we got to a dead-end and the rain came tumbling down!

After finding ourselves sheltered in a local's makeshfit shed, we then found Ellen - a lost American! This was about the time the continuous calls for us to take a bamboo raft back, began (and never ended). Journeying as three, we travelled along the road we were told not to (in order to convince us to take a bamboo raft) and ended up finding Susanna and Ali (more Americans) at the end of the road. Now there were five of us all trying to go to the same place (the bridge) and all lost in the process!

We continued along in the right direction and came across a lovely Chinese lady who ended up being our personal tour guide - without request from us, but a welcome helping hand from someone who knew where they were going! We later found out that her family had bamboo rafts that would be 'great' to take us back on!

Journeying along with our guide, who happened to be riding an ancient road bike with no gears while we road on fully suspended and 20-geared mountain bikes, we found ourselves riding through the most stunning, beautiful ... hang-on words can't describe this place ... we're know our photos don't! The trail she took us on we would NEVER have found alone, and most of the time we were all unsure if she was taking us where we wanted to go - but when you have no idea, you can't really argue! Plus, we'd gone way too far to turn around now (and couldn't make it on our own if we tried).

Along the way we passed amazing villages nestled among the rice-paddies, mountains and the river. One village that stood out was the village with stilt houses looking out over the crystal-clear ponds they had made to house their fish - the fed the small and caught the big!

After an endless ''only 40 minutes to go'', we made it to the bridge! Yay! The bridge was lovely, but nothing compared to the ride there. The rain once again halted our bicycling, but soon we were on our way to the village, Baisha, and then finally home to Yangshuo! We made it back at about 6.30pm, after leaving before 10.30am! From his personal trainer perspective Adam is super-proud of the phenominal effort Liv put in to surviving the day.

We collapsed at the hostel for an hour or so and then went to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner - which was so yum!

Adam loves the rock structures here and it is the first time he has truly wished he had his rock-climbing gear he sold to help finance the trip. But he will be back, maybe with Josh, to do some peaks by rope instead of by foot.

On our way home to sleep, we met up with Ashley, who we had met in Guilin, who we exchanged tips with on what to do in this great place! It's nice to know on our adlibing tours we can run into familiar faces, even if we only met 2 days ago!!

Exhaustedly adlibing it to bed ...

Day 19 - Leaving Guilin for the mountains of Yangshuo

A simple day today. We got up and ready, went to the train station to catch the bus to Yangshuo, got confused by all the locals (it is hard to tell who are helpful locals and who are touts) telling us to catch the 'tour' bus, so went back to the hostel for help! Turned out the locals/touts were right, so we hopped on the 'tour' bus to Yangshuo.

We arrived in Yangshuo to the pouring rain, but we could tell even then that this was going to be a phenomenal next stop on our adlibing journey!

As is becoming a custom for us, we wandered the streets for much longer than needed to find some accommodation, but made it in the end, relatively wet. Our accommodation at the Bamboo House Inn is cheap (about $NZ10 for the both of us) and we get an ensuite and balcony!

We spent the afternoon sheltering from the rain resting and reading in the hostel, before venturing out (into the rain) to the markets and some late lunch: vegetarian dumplings and noodles - YUM - and of course more beer for Adam.

After Liv finished the book she started in the afternoon, we went to dinner at Mei You Cafe (Mei You = 'don't have' - meaning: don't have bad service, don't have warm beer, don't have bad food etc!), where we were treated to a live Chinese pop/rock band and a delicious dinner. Liv had a cocktail - which was worth it just to see the bar girls completely confused as to how it was meant to be made. Adam had his first rice wine - leaving his throat feeling slightly burnt and swearing to limit the rice wine as much as possible!

We wandered the streets in the rain, before heading 'home' to sleep - we have a big day planned for tomorrow!

Day 18 - Tackling a Peak of Guilin

After a long sleep in, we woke and might as well have eaten lunch!! Instead we headed to Fubu Shan ("Wave Subduing Hill"), which is one of many peaks perched on the edge of the Li river. After a short walk to the top we were rewarded with 360 degree views of the river and the city. We could also see Solitary Beauty Peak (152m peak nearby), and part of Elephant hill, a mountain that resembles an Elephant's trunk rested in the Li river - it was nice to see these things without having to pay to go in. Sites are expensive in China - and make budgetting a bit harder.

At the top we met Ashley from the US, and we wandered along the Li river with her, hoping for a bamboo raft ride along the river - but the prices were crazy expensive, so we walked it instead - beautiful none the less and still provided views of Elephant Hill, which we were wanting.

We also stumbled across one of China's many exercise parks - which Adam definitely approves of! Lots of fun - no wonder there's very few overweight people in China. Adam won't make much money over here as a personal trainer - so he'll be back!

We stopped for a rest on the bank of one of the beautiful small lakes in Guilin - Shan Hu. In the middle are huge Chinese towers - Adam loves the architecture of these.

Our walk home turned into one of our back-street wanders, after we took a wrong turn - but we got there in the end, and thoroughly enjoyed the different and less-touristy views!

On our way, Adam found a local beer (only NZ 65cents - woo hoo) and Liv found a mango - both of us satisfied! The mangos here are super-cheap and flavoursome, and gives Liv a break from her usual diet of fried vegetables and noodles / rice!

We're about to head to dinner now - who knows what this will entail! Actually, knowing our track record it'll be fried veges for Liv and something spicy for Adam!

Adlibing the eateries.

Day 17 - Mountainous Guilin

After arriving at 6am this morning, we found our hostel - Flowers Youth Hostel by foot. This is the first hostel to give us a discount for our YHA cards, and was voted the best hostel in 2006 - so far we definitely agree!

The good thing about arriving so early is that we missed a lot of the touts that Guilin is becoming famous for - as it is such a popular tourist destination.

After a brief and well-needed nap, we ventured off by bus to Qixing Gonguan (Seven-Star Park) which is a huge park, which cost us more to enter than it did for our accommodation! It was worth it though - so much to see and do. This park is nestled on the eastern side of the Li river, which is the most beautiful river we've seen so far and the locals think so too! The park first opened to tourists in 581-618.

In the park we visited the Qixia Temple, which was full of golden Buddhist statues and a remarkably huge wood carving - no photo good enough to post though - they didn't do it justice! From the temple we journeyed up, and up, and up eventually reaching the seven-star cave - which was big and beautiful with huge chambers full of stalactites and stalagmites. These were lit up with numerous neon lights, that we're used to seeing in China - the Chinese have a way with lights which completely transform sights at night! We've been trying to take night photos but our camera doesn't really do the job- sorry, we'll enjoy them for you!

We also walked passed an 800 year old tomb, where we saw a squirrel flying between trees - it held our attention much longer than the tomb! From here we continued on to the peak of one of the mountains (you can see this as a speck up on the second peak from the left on the first photo above). We had a much deserved rest here - taking in the amazing views of the city below and the other peaks surrounding us. The moutains are the main attraction in Guilin - they surround the city in mulitple layers, and each are very unique in their own jaggered way! They are a combination of rock-faces and luch bush - absolutely stunning!

We spent the afternoon wandering around the park, passing waterfalls, visiting the zoo which we regretted immediately (no more zoos for us) and a natural rock gallery, which although interesting was taxing in the heat. Of note in the gallery were amazing paint stones, which are stones with amazing pictures / scenes that naturally occur in them.

The last sight of the day was Camel Hill - a cool hill shaped liked a camel!!

For dinner Adam (unknowingly) ordered He Hua fish - which are very small and hard to eat with chopsticks - he really had to work for his meal! The waiter asked if Adam wanted pepper, and he got a plate full of chillis - leaving him once again sweating and his mouth numb! Eating meat here is much different than at home - there's no hiding the animal you're eating as it comes served with its head, all bones, feet and everything in between! Liv likes the idea of this - its too easy in NZ!

After dinner we spent the rest of the night at the night markets, where we purchased Erin-Jane's BIG 21st present and a little something for Ethan (we couldn't resist). We'll figure out postage tomorrow! The night markets are positioned in between Rong Hu (lake) on the western side and Shan Hu on the eastern side - which were amazingly lit at night.

Adlibing the mountains in Guilin - and loving it!

Day 16 - Travellers Travelling

Today was a day of travellers travelling. When you're tripping around an area this vast, it takes a decent amount of time to get between destinations! This doesn't mean the journey isn't as enjoyable as getting there. We got to see phenominal scenery on our way from Macau to Guangzhou, a place where we are very familiar with!

One thing we have noticed is that there is a huge discrepancy between the rich and poor - slums are nestled in between high-rise towers - seemingly co-existing well, but who knows ...?

On arrival in Guangzhou, we got on the metro to the long-distance bus station and bought our tickets to the next destination: Guilin in Guangxi Province. Our tickets also double as our accommodation for the night - at least it had aircon. Adam even wore his (dad's!) ice-breaker for the first time!

The major sight-seeing today was Adam's brief excursion through the first underground tunnel of Guangzhou!

The trip to Guilin was meant to be 13 hours, so we were very pleased whenit turned out to only be 9.5 hours!

Adlibing it on buses, all day and night.

Day 15 - Relaxing like Pirates in Coloane

After a very broken sleep we have decided that fan vs aircon is really no competition, but try and take the fan away and we'll fight you for it like a hungry dog would fight for a bone! However, a budget is a budget, and in Macau where everything is crazy expensive, we'll take budget when we find it!

Because Macau is very Westernised, and Liv is suffering from a cold, we treated ourselves to a breakfast / lunch at a Western Cafe, which was fit for kings! We both had salad sandwiches, soup, and cheesecake as a (costly) set menu - but it was worth it and made Liv feel a little better. Macau is a wonderful place - we are both loving it here - it has Portugese history, which means there are lots of fortresses, churches, bakeries and other Mediterranean-style buildings, in fact Macau was only returned to China in 1999. Much to Adam's delight Macau was a haven for pirates during the days of the opium wars! Today though, Macau is most famous for its casinos - as in mainland China gambling is illegal. Here Liv is standing in the middle of the Largo do Senado - famous for its black and white tiled streets and where lots of the bakeries where we indugled ourselves are located!
Today we caught the bus to the Island of Coloane, passing through the busy village of Taipa. We journeyed over one of the 3 bridges linking the Islands to the mainland, and ended up at Hac Sa Beach. From the beach we could see the famous A-Ma Statue, which represents the goddess who gave Macau its name. We had intended to go for a swim at the beach but decided against it because Chinese beaches don't compare to the pristene and clean NZ beaches. Lukcily there was a swimming pool across the road, set in beautiful scenery, where we managed to laze away the day, feeling like we really were on a relaxing holiday. We've been finding that travelling is extremely exhausting, and that trying to see everything leaves you worn out to the point where you don't enjoy the sights - so we've decided that seeing one or two sights a day is enough to experience each place. The only downside to the pool was that it was about the same temperature as outside - HOT! But relaxing under the shade of a big umbrella, the occassional dip, followed by bursts in the much colder shower made for a day of bliss!Adam also got to try a Macanese beer! We caught the bus home at peak-hour, and for the first time we experienced full buses like we had been expecting in China! We had to battle our way off at our stop - but we made it out alive!!

After a rest at the hostel we went out for tea - we ended up at a Thai place, after considering Pizza Hut but being flabbergasted at the price - it would have cost us $25 for one pizza, which is almost double what our accommodation is costing us!

Our hostel is on the famous Street of Happiness (Rua da Felicidade) which was once Macau's red-light district and was used in the movie Indianna Jones and the Temple of Doom! You may (especially you Mum - Yoka) be able to recognise it by the red-shuttered terraces! It's beautiful and has a lot of character!
Adlibing it, away from the high-rollers ...

Day 14 - Macau, here we come!

After packing up all our belongings, we headed on the Metro (surprise surprise) to the main bus station, where Liv used her Chinese skills once again to purchase us two tickets to Zhuhai (a city on the border of Macau). This was the first time Liv communicated completely in Chinese and it worked! She's feeling very proud!

After 2 and a half hours we arrived at Zhuhai with no idea which was the border the Macau was - we thought we'd just walk - but locals soon informed us it would be a long walk and pointed us to a bus! After a bus change-over, we were looking quite lost (which is becoming the norm!), another local asked if they could help and escorted us to the border for customs!

On arrival, we once again thought we'd walk to the hostel, but after yet another friendly local's advice we ended on a bus for the half hour trip to the town centre! This trip was longer than required as we didn't get off the bus when we should have - lesson learnt: get off the bus when you at least know where you are!

Once again walking, and looking lost, we were approached by the hostel-owner, of all people, who lead us to a much cheaper and more basic hostel (that happens to be one of the historic buildings of Macau, i.e. old) than we were heading towards! It's our first hostel with no air-con, so we'll see how that goes tonight - it's well into the 30s here, and we're losing water as fast as we can put it in!

We headed into town for a wander, and found ourselves at lots of historical sites including the ruins of the Church of St Paul (which is the very symbol of Macau) and the Monte Fort built in 1617 where we checked out the cannons which have only been fired once (1622). From here we continued to wander, realising we were on the Largo do Senado, famous for its swirling black and white tiled streets. We found an Indian restaurant for dinner (much to Liv's delight) - though our most expensive meal yet, it was the first that we totally devoured! Feeling revived we headed home to change and set off for the Casinos! Macau is the Las Vegas of the East, turning over more money than Las Vegas itself!

We first went to the original Casino Lisboa, where we found a lot of smoking old men and not much excitement! We then went to the Grand Lisboa, which lived up to its name, entertaining us with lights, shows, and much more glamour - so it was here Adam placed his one bet on the Wheel of Fortune, which he lost - just! We left with our only gains being a free bottle of water and headed home to sleep (hopefully). Adlibing it, without aircon.

Day 13 - A revolutionary sight - The Peasant Movement Institute

Last night we decided we would travel to Kaiping for the day, a town famous for its watch towers and about 2 hours bus ride away from Guangzhou. In prepration we arranged an early morning wake up call, it was great to get the call on time - Yay (nice to know as we will need one tomorrow because we will be traveling to Macau). So up we got to eat our breakfast of plain oats, shower and pack for the day. However after breakfast Livs body began to play up again and despite Adam's desire to see the watch towers he had a greater desire to keep his girl happy and as comfortable as possible (which meant keeping easy access to the essential facilities!). So we just went back to sleep!

A few hours later we recived the other in-house wake up call, good morning concrete drill and jack hammer! So this time we did get up, dressed and headed out to the metro as usual. Today's destination was the Peasant Movement Institute, which was estabilished in 1924 by the Communist Party and closed in 1926. Mao Zedong was one of the teachers here and we got to see his office and living quarters. The institute consisted of lecture halls, dormitories, military training areas, a small libary, an old art room and a medical room.

Lunch time - a time of big decisions and potential consequences! We opted for a relatively large restaurant, where we were seated and promptly received the large number of stares and points that go with being the only white faces around! We are not sure if we should continue to shrug these off or perhaps wave back at them! Anyway the ordering process went ok once the waiter who could speak a little english came to see us, in the end we ordered what "they have"(the table across from us had vegetarian noodles). Liv suggested Adam try some fish, Adam accepted and the saga continues - "Come with me" so Adam followed the waiter back out of the resturant to the fish market next door where he had to choose from tank after tank of live fish, crabs, eels, snakes, frogs and so on. His soon to be lunch -Shrimps! The food arrived and it was great, although typically greasy - which is what Livs vegetarian palate is not coping with. The meal was pretty cheap and to finish it off we went to the nearby fruit market.

Tonight we finally found the street market - and boy are we glad! The market is a huge street of shops that sell everything! They even had a $2 shop, except that their $2 is under 40cents!

The food we purchased for dinner from the market continued our day of not-so-successful eating! Breakfast was plain oats (ok), and lunch was fried (aka greasy) noodles and shrimps for Adam. The drink we bought at lunch time to refresh ourselves, we thought was lemonade, but tasted more like fizzy mint mouthwash! We decided to eat from the stalls at the market for dinner - using Liv's basic Chinese this was successful, until we tried it! The first purchase was chewy, doughy, vegetarian patties which Adam was still happy to eat. Next was corn on the cob - this was cooked so much it was almost dough! - Both of us turned our noses up at this. Next Adam got a sticky rice ball wrapped up in flax - He wanted one because right now in China it's the dragon boating festival - History has it that a man jumped into a river, and the fishermen jumped in their boats to look for him and beat big drums while throwing the sticky rice into the water to stop the fish eating the body. Don't let the happy look on Adam's face fool you as it was less than appettising and he only managed a few bites! On the way home we stopped to get Liv an icecream, despite her Chinese skills she manged to pick a coffee one - If you know anything about Liv you know she hates coffee! Disaster all round, really. But at least we tried, right?!

Adlibing it (near facilities!)

Day 12 - Under Elephant Hill to the King of Nanyue's Mausoleum

After a long sleep in, we were woken by incessant concrete drilling onthe floor above us. This prompted us to get up, and have our breakfastwhich now consists of oats and bananas - almost like we're at home (and much more palatable).

Today we once again caught the metro: destination the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King -This houses the tomb of King Zhao Mo. His tomb was accidentally found in 1983 after workers were digging to prepare for an apartment block, on Elephant Hill. The King and his family reigned for nearly 100 years during the 2nd Century BC. The tomb is of significance because it was not robbed, providing a detailed snapshot of the times and the culture. We got too see lots of ancient relics found in the tomb made out of jade, gold, silver, bronze, steel, and lead - like swords, discs, clothes hooks, pottery, musical instruments, and the burial suit of the King, which was made out of nearly 2,000 small jade tiles! The most intriging part of the mausoleum was venturing into the actual underground tomb!!

Another highlight from today is that we got to see blue sky! Normallythe smog / pollution / dust blocks the sky. Tonight we also got to see the moon, and 2 lone stars! We suggest anyone back home who has the opportunity to see the sky, goes outside and enjoys it now! It's a luxury in some parts (like China!).

Before dinner we went to find our new friend Linda to say goodbye before she leaves for Hong Kong tomorrow. She treated us to drinks and snacks at "Lucy's" on the waterfront, a relatively European restaurant where Liv got her potato fix (hashbrowns!). Linda has turned out to be a most sincere and friendly person who we feel lucky to have met - we hope to be able to provide similar friendship to other travellers as we continue our adlibing Asia journey. She even bought Adam his third different Chinese beer - another local from Guangzhou.
Tonight we planed to go to the street markets close by for dinner and possibly some shopping, but unfortunately we couldn't find the markets- maybe tomorrow's search will be more successful! Instead we'll enjoy a dessert of yellow watermelon we purchased yesterday. Adlibing Asia

Day 11 - Bai Yun Shan ('White Cloud Mountain')

Today we woke to sunshine - yay! We ventured out with our friend Linda on the metro and after finding the right bus, with help from the locals, we made our way to Bai Yun Shan - just out of Guangzhou. It is the major mountain range in Guangzhou scattered with temples, gardens and gives the most stunning views of the city. The people of Guangzhou rate this as one of the Top 8 sights of Guangzhou.

While on our bus there, Linda sat next to "Auntie" who helped us find our way, walked all the way up the mountain with us, and even bought us lunch at the top! Lunch, while very thoughtful, was not that palatable. It consisted of silky (more like slimy) tofu in a sickly sweet hot soup as well as a hard boiled egg in sauce (which was a welcome break from the tofu!). Adam had to gulp down some of Liv's while Auntie's back was turned - of course it would have been rude to refuse it. We all managed though and told Auntie that it was 'good' - the only English word she knew!

After lunch we began the stroll around the mountain peak for some more beautiful views, passing stunning rock carvings, temples, the 9-Dragon Springs and finishing at the Summit and a danty little tea-house.

The walk back down was a welcome relief and allowed us to enjoy the 'great garden', stroll along the reflexology footpath (ouch!), and experience the 'playful water' (a nice stream and waterfall). At the bottom we looked around the Chinese market where we saw all sorts of interesting fruits and vegetables - of which we bought a small, yellow-flesh watermelon. We also saw some poor turtles and a bucket of mini-scorpians.

Back at the hostel we relaxed before a romantic dinner on the river-front, where we were treated to a laser-show to music and got to see lots of beautiful boats cruise by.

Scattered around Shamian Island are lots of Bronze Statues showing British, French and Chinese history.

Off to our now local corner store for another 4 litre bottle of water, some oats for breakfast, a juice for liv, and Adam's second taste of Chinese beer: Tsingtao, which comes from the province we'll soon be teaching in. Adam's doing a good job to prepare himself for when Pops and his old man arrive in China (notice the when, not if ...)!

Enjoying the adlibing life, Adam and Liv