Travel Notes of Guilin-Yangshuo (2005-09-22)

When I was in primary school, I learned a text called "Guilin's landscape is the best in the world", which described Guilin's landscape picturesque and unforgettable! Especially the sentence "This kind of mountain is surrounded by this kind of water, and this kind of water reflects this kind of mountain. Coupled with the green trees and red flowers in the mountains and bamboo rafts on the river, people feel that they have entered a continuous picture. It is really a boat on the blue waves, and people are swimming in a world of scrolls. " I am full of yearning and reverie for it. The "Guilin-Yangshuo Four-Day Tour" which I had the honor to attend just fulfilled my dream for many years and gave me an excellent opportunity to experience it personally!

It takes about 1 hour to get from Ningxi to Zhuhai Airport. When I arrived at the airport, I was told that the plane would be delayed 1 hour. Perhaps this is the first time that most donkey friends have traveled so far together. The happy mood was not greatly affected by the news that the plane was late. Everyone sat in small groups in the spacious waiting hall, talking and laughing. At 7 o'clock, we can finally board the plane at 10. After a flight of 1 several hours, it was already past 8 pm when we arrived at Guilin Liangjiang International Airport.

After leaving the airport, the local escort of Guilin Overseas Travel Company has been waiting outside for a long time. Everyone got on the bus with a little fatigue and drowsiness. When the tour guide picked up the microphone and began to introduce the scenery and characteristics of Guilin, everyone's mood suddenly rose again. Through the tour guide's introduction, we learned a lot of local anecdotes, such as: 1. Guilin is named after "osmanthus trees grow into forests". Of course, the city flower of Guilin is osmanthus fragrans. There are 57 varieties of osmanthus fragrans, which belong to four species groups, including Jingui, Yin Gui, Dangui and Sijigui. Osmanthus fragrans can also soak wine, so Osmanthus fragrans wine is very famous in Guilin. 2. It is possible that only Guilin in China has free rides, and the train number starts at 5 1-58 5 (8: 00- 17: 00). The waiting time of free bus is longer than that of ordinary bus, and you should pay attention to your personal finances when you ride, because thieves also ride for free. In Guilin, just like in Zhuhai, you can't see any tall buildings. First, you are afraid of blocking the beautiful scenery around you. Second, because of the unique karst landform and many underground rivers, the municipal government is not allowed to build tall buildings here. 4. In Guilin, when you meet the local people and become sincere friends, you can call them "dog meat", such as Zeng dog meat, Li dog meat and Zhang dog meat ... so the whole carriage is called "dog meat, dog meat". Seeing this, what I want to say most at this time is: Guilin-I'm here at last!

After staying at Lin Ze Hotel in Guilin for one night, I finished my breakfast at around 8: 00 in the morning and took a special bus to start my first destination-Yangshuo. On the bus, I began to listen to the tour guide saying,' When you come to Guilin, you must go to Yangshuo',' Guilin's landscape is the best in the world, and Yangshuo can be called a Guilin', and the natural scenery of Yangshuo occupies an important position in the world.

"The mountains are clear, the water is beautiful, the peaks are strange, and the caves are clever" is the four best in the world. Yangshuo is known as "a famous tourist county in China", with hundreds of miles of mountains and rivers, beautiful Shan Qi water everywhere, and natural and human landscapes complement each other. Yangshuo is a place to create dreams, a tourist attraction for singles and a concentration camp for petty bourgeoisie.

There are many scenic spots on the way to Yangshuo. The first scenic spot we went to was Xanadu. "Xanadu" is not far from Yangshuo County. After going in, you will find this is a good place to experience the folk customs of Yangshuo. You can take a boat through Taoyuan Cave and find a small village that is almost isolated from the world (it is said that people in the village live a long life, but tourists had better not disturb its tranquility). You can also find a group of indigenous tribes from the border between China and Myanmar, and even the customs and specialties of Zhuang, Yao and Miao, the main ethnic minorities in Yangshuo, can be found here. However, I think the best performance here is throwing hydrangeas. When tourists look at the hydrangea that is about to be thrown in the hands of Zhuang girls on the bamboo building with expectant eyes, I think it is not just a small hydrangea that will jump on your head at this time, but luck and happiness! Leaving the "Xanadu", the next scenic spot is Yinziyan, the largest cave in Yangshuo.

Once the hidden treasures and scenic spots in nature are discovered, they will naturally surprise and even stir the world. Yinziyan in Yangshuo is an example. I have been to some caves, but the wonders of Yinziyan have opened my eyes. Yinziyan, with a depth of more than 2000 meters, is a floor-standing cave. At present, the development journey is about 2 kilometers, including three parts: the lower hole, the main hall and the upper hole. From the bottom of the rock to the top, it is a building with a height of about 16 floors. It brings together various types of stalactites developed in different geological ages. Guided by the tour guide, we filed in. Yinziyan is faint, dense, tortuous and mysterious, and dozens of characteristic scenic spots composed of stalactites live next to each other, which is overwhelming. Being in it, people will forget the troubled world and feel very high. In particular, the three stalactites I saw-Music Stone Screen, Cold Palace, Snow Mountain Waterfall, and Three Treasures-Buddhist Sutra, Single Column, and Miscellaneous Beads Umbrella-were all amazing. Their images are vivid and lifelike, and all the donkey friends present are amazed. When Yinziyan came out, it was already noon 12: 30, and everyone was hungry. In the car, I went to a farmhouse restaurant not far away, had a farmhouse meal, rested for a while, and started on my way to the next scenic spot, which is also a long-awaited place-Yulong River rafting!

As soon as the bus arrived at the Yulong River pier, it just stopped, and I don't know when a group of local girls came around. On closer inspection, it turns out that all of them are selling water guns made of local bamboo. In fact, these water guns were all made by myself when I was a child, but if I was sitting on a small bamboo raft and playing in the drifting Yulong River, it was the first time. I believe it must be exciting and the scene must be spectacular. No, before boarding the boat, some donkey friends couldn't wait to buy water guns and started shooting at each other. However, this time, I didn't go back to get wet. Although I really want to join everyone's water gun battle, I want to enjoy the boundless scenery. So when everyone got on the bamboo raft and started chasing and killing in the river, I got on the last bamboo raft and slowly followed everyone's water trail.

Sitting on a bamboo raft, looking at the picturesque green hills on both sides of the river, a little bamboo raft on the river is really "a small bamboo raft in the middle reaches of the river, walking on both sides of the towering green hills." The reflection of the castle peak is reflected on the green river, and the boat goes down the river, just like sailing on the top of the castle peak. The boatman pointed to the names of the mountains on both sides, including Thumb Mountain, Moon Mountain, golden rooster laying eggs, Yuanyang kissing, and so on. What amazed me was the striking green. The river is green as jade, remote and quiet, and there are many bamboo forests on the shore, which adds the quiet and leisurely charm like a fairy source in the world. The green of the mountain is more vigorous, and the lush trees on the mountain hide the vigorous rock wall and become steeper and steeper. In this way, mountains and water are harmoniously combined, and two charming greens blend together. There is water in the mountains, and there are mountains in the water, like a beautiful picture. At this moment, I only sigh that there is no ingenious pen to draw this charming scenery. Only by pressing the shutter from time to time can I keep this beautiful scenery.

There are two kinds of rivers in Guilin, one is rapids, such as the extreme vortex of Wupai River. One is rafting, which is not dangerous in other places, because the Lijiang River and other small rivers are relatively flat and there are no rapids and waves. So the so-called drifting actually passes through more than a dozen small dams, so the drifting of Yulong River is absolutely safe. Along the way, the river was as flat as a mirror, and the small dam only added a little interesting flavor. The boatman suggested that I take off my shoes and soak my feet in the water, which really made me feel very comfortable. The river is warm and clear, and some tourists can't help jumping into the river to swim, even ignoring wet clothes. Some tourists come prepared, put on swimsuits, swim in the river for a while, and drift on bamboo rafts for a while. This is really the greatest enjoyment in the world. Even if you exchange the emperor at the moment, I'm afraid I will definitely refuse.

During the course of the bamboo raft, we can see several cruise ships drifting by at any time. There are full-time tour guides wearing local national costumes singing folk songs: "Singing folk songs, singing here and singing there …" We can't help but sing along: "Folk songs are like spring water …" After a while, you sang and I appeared, and the atmosphere was pleasant and peaceful.

Unconsciously, it drifted to the workers and peasants bridge at the end. I'm surprised the time is too short. I wish I could drift for a few more hours. I reluctantly got off the bamboo raft and came to the bridge to find a donkey friend. After so many water fights, most of my clothes and cameras are wet. I'm glad I didn't take part in everyone's water war. Finally, I took some photos with some donkey friends on the shore through the landscape of Lijiang River, and left this picturesque Yulong River with nostalgia.

Maybe everyone is tired after drifting and speechless all the way. It took 10 more minutes to get to Yangshuo county. As soon as we got off the bus, we found that Yangshuo County was originally located in the mountains. The county seat is small and a little messy, but it looks petite and beautiful because of the tall and straight buttes around it. There are many hotels in Yangshuo county, and the scale is not very large. Most of them are built on the 4-5 floors above residential buildings, so the innkeeper is the landlord. The guide arranged for us to stay in a clean-looking hotel. After the rooms were allocated, everyone went back to their rooms and began to have a rest.

After dinner at half past six and walking in the street, everyone began to look at this small mountain city with great interest. Yangshuo Street is very small, with shops on both sides. It is estimated that 80% or 90% of the county are businessmen, and you can always see foreigners in twos and threes on the road. It is said that there are more foreigners in Yangshuo Street than in China, especially there is a famous street-West Street (also called Foreigners Street), where foreigners gather. "If you come to Yangshuo, you must visit West Street", which is a slogan of local people. Of course we won't miss it. As soon as I entered West Street, I was fascinated by the buildings on both sides of the street, which were all built in imitation of western architectural styles. Most of the small houses on both sides of the street are three or four stories high, and there are many bell towers and castles on the roof. The pillars of the arcade are round, and the doors and windows are also semicircular vaults. Colors are also varied, including red and green, blue and purple. From a distance, it looks like an artistic statue, and from a close look, it looks like a handicraft, which is beautiful. The pavement style of the street is also very unique. The decorative colors of red, yellow, blue and green strongly impact your vision, and the exquisite and dazzling small handicrafts inside make you look down. At this point, you will wish that the time passes as slowly as possible, so that you can leave enough time for you to carefully choose any little thing you like and like. The bar in West Street is also a major feature here. The bar is an indispensable item for every guest who comes to West Street. When the night begins to blur, just sit in a bar, have some jazz, have some pizza and red wine-this small street will make people's hearts drift to an emotional night without looking at anything, just indulging in it.

In Yangshuo, there are many other interesting places besides bars at night. One example is watching the live performance "Impression of Sister Liu" by boat on the water. It is said that Impression of Sister Liu was planned by internationally renowned director Zhang Yimou, who bought all the Lijiang River in Yangshuo to show the life scenes of fishermen fishing and farming and playing songs at that time. The scene, lighting and effects are very grand and spectacular, very beautiful and shocking. It is said that there are more than 600 actors alone, not including the extras. Unfortunately, I couldn't go because the ticket price was too high (main entrance: 198 yuan/Zhang) and there were other things that night. Yangshuo's night food street is also famous. After 7: 30, the whole snack street began to be lively. A simple berth and a few tables and chairs can occupy a street for a long time. The smells of beer fish, fried Lijiang snails, fried rice noodles and grilled squid wafted in the wind, making everyone passing by want to stop and eat a plate and a few bites. Yangshuo's nightlife is sleepless.

Everyone got up late the next day, and their luggage was simpler and clearer than the previous days. As you probably know, we are going to go on road trip. Bring less if you can. After breakfast in a hurry, I followed the guide to the car rental shed where I had already booked a good car. There are many kinds of bicycles here, including single-seat bicycles, two-seat bicycles, straight ladies' bicycles, and mountain bikes that men like. I chose a yellow mountain bike and can't wait to ride it. The donkey friends who went early have already cleared the way. We chased each other all the way, and the broad and flat tourist highway stretched forward, with green scenery everywhere and the fragrance of wild flowers floating from the suburbs, which not only made you feel comfortable, but also intoxicated you. The green hills along the way were left behind by us, and we laughed all the way. When we arrived at the terminal in butterfly spring, everyone's expression was still unfinished. Fortunately, we rented bicycles for a whole day today. If we don't have enough fun, there will be another afternoon.

Good times are always short. The two-day trip to Yangshuo will soon end. On the third morning, we embarked on a journey back to Guilin. After returning to Guilin, take a boat trip to Lijiang River and climb Diecai Mountain. The last two days were basically shopping in the park. Maybe those two days in Yangshuo were crazy. When we arrived in Guilin, everyone's interest was reduced, and there were no interesting projects. Everyone wants to go back to their room and go to bed early. But I was deeply impressed by the boat tour of Elephant Trunk Mountain, the night street tour of Guilin and the night view of "Two Rivers and Four Lakes" in Guilin. After all, these are all places that Guilin people should be proud of.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, I ended the whole trip of "four-day tour in Yangshuo, Guilin". After dinner early, I got on the bus to the airport. When the scenery on both sides of the road passed my eyes again, I found that the mountains in Guilin left such a deep impression on me. In fact, for a child who grew up in the mountains, seeing mountains is nothing new. But the mountains in Guilin still surprise me. The mountains in my hometown are continuous and dense, and the mountains in Guilin are like stalagmites and piles inserted in the ground. They not only rise from the ground, but also are blue-gray mountains with no trees or flowers. From a distance, they look like this pastoral landscape painting.

The solitary peak is arrogant-it can best reflect the character of Guilin Mountain.

Unconsciously, the airport is just around the corner. Say goodbye-the mountain of Guilin! Farewell-the water of Lijiang River!

Final draft: September 22, 2005