From Shanghai to Yangshuo

July 30, 2004

I'm in Yangshuo right now, this rural town in South China, just got back from a gorgeous bike trip through these massive karst peaks...think Thailand cliffs but on land and in all shapes, dotting the landscape. Biked farmer lanes through rice paddies, by rivers, dodged oxen and crazy Chinese drivers. I have so many postcard-esque photos on my camera, it's ridiculous.

We landed in Shanghai two days ago, just fine. Shanghai is like any other mega-city, big, bright and noisy and holy fucking smelly. We hopped a plane out of there the next day after looking around, to Guilin and then made our way by suicide mini-bus ride to Yanshuo, playing chicken with oncoming trucks etc.

I have to say, the Chinese are a pretty loud, aggressive bunch...after your money too, everyone's trying to screw you and damn if you don't have to haggle until you're blue in the face. They follow you, stalk you really, encouraging you to buy such and such or do such and such tour. The amount of times I've had to yell at people to piss off is getting ridiculous. I can't get over the spitting either. People indiscriminately hork up loogies (loudly, gurgle included) and just spit them, in any direction, hitting each other sometimes. Like in Shanghai, this woman, beautiful, dressed up in an evening gown and heels, hair done...horked the biggest fucking loogie, like a horse, and just let fly in a crowded street. The image was priceless.

Seriously though, aside from that, Southern China is STUNNING. Think of your stereotypical image of China, rice paddies in mountain valleys with old women working the fields up to their knees in water, wearing the big straw hats and their oxen grazing nearby and you've got a snapshot of where I am right now.

We're going on a private tour of a nearby water cave tomorrow. Apparently, it's 4 hours long, walking through this mountain cave with an underground river we can swim in and mudslides, and mud baths, stallactites...the whole shebang....

Gotta love the names of places here too...just came from "Moon Hill Peak"...going to see "Dragon Backbone" Rice Fields....

I am now going to take a "Dirty Fiona" shower.