Tag: Guangxi
Yangshuo
by Sean on Nov.14, 2009, under China
So around 11:30am, Lily and I finally met up with my friends who came from the states to visit! We had waited a few hours in the hot sun staring in all directions of the train station, until finally from out of the corner of my eye I spotted the tallest dudes in the city, my friends! 
We immediately purchased our tickets to Chengdu, and then picked up an hour bus ride to the infinitely better Yangshuo.
Richard hadn’t been feeling quite right from the bus ride, so we left him in the hostel to rest while we got food at the Havana Bar & Cafe. They have fraudulent advertising, as they were only good at Chinese food amongst their already sparse menu. Their 18rmb milkshakes were bad, my 8rmb french toast was good because I haven’t had it since before I moved to China and yet could still have done better if they added more cinnamon (if it was even on there at all). Lily’s green peppers, mushrooms, chicken and white rice for 22rmb was really good. Enough about food.
Balloon 1
Balloon 2
For dinner we ate at Chez Kelly (also known as Kelly’s Place). We had a few different dishes and they were good! The best part of this place is their milkshakes, and Lonely Planet was right to recommend them because it’s hard to get good milkshakes in China! For a bargain at 12rmb, you too can be the proud owner of an orgasmic double thick chocolate milkshake in an glass.
Bike Ride
Bike Ride 2
If you’d like to stay at Monkey Jane’s Guesthouse, leave the bus station and turn left. When you see a wide cobble stone street to your left, turn there (it’s called West Street, or Xi Da Jie). Walk through the pedestrian street and make a right into a tiny alley when you hit Xian Qian Lu. Monkey Jane’s will be on your right!. Their number is 0773-8820585 and their address is 24 Lian feng zhong xiang 莲峰中xiang24号.
Note: 4 Dutch tourists died on October 16th, 2009 in Yangshuo as a result of a hot-air balloon crash. RIP.
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Photo of the Day 9/10
by Sean on Sep.10, 2009, under China, Photos
Hot Air Balloon Ride in Yangshuo
Imagine one minute having your feet firmly on the ground, and the next feeling like you’re floating in mid-air. The air trapped in the balloon above your head is heated, and at once you leave the safety of the ground. The heater reminds you of a flame thrower, and the heat is so intense you begin to sweat. You slowly rise to 20m…30m…100m. You can see people on the ground quickly becoming smaller and more distant. They look like ants for a brief moment, and then fade away. The sky lights up in brilliant colors as the sun begins to set over the mountains. The only sound you can hear is that of the flamethrower ensuring your safety.
The man controlling the behemoth constantly speaks gibberish into his walkie-talkie. You continue to snap as many pictures as you can before your brief stint with the sky ends at an alarmingly fast rate. You reach 500m..600m..700m (2,300ft). You are now literally hanging in the sky without a lifeline, floating aimlessly over the jagged mountains dotting the surface below. What seems like a lifetime dancing in the sky from within your balloon in reality is only about 30 minutes, but by the time you descend back to earth, you are glad to be back.
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