Day 8 - Boats & other vehicles

We really had no idea what was in store for us today. As we moved along the river I just had to sit and stare for 30 minutes to comprehend what an amazing landscape we were moving through. After a short drive from Guilin we boarded a 3 story boat at the wharf along with our guide and roughly a hundred other westerners. The river Li, which were we to explore for the next four hours, snakes it way through 30km of the giant Karst's grander than the ones I described yesterday. Coupled with the river life along the banks these massive structures take on a new meaning.

A typical river craft on the Li consists of four long bamboo poles strapped together and fixed to a long metal pole with a propeller on one end and a motor on the other. The propeller doubles as a rudder and the driver balances his load of vegetables, passengers or Cormorants in the middle of the craft. I don't think it is big enough for my bum let alone my weight. The next craft we came across was a local tourist boat. It is a similar design to the basic fisherman's craft, only bigger with the bonus of a canopy. The driver sits on a fold out chair and the passengers enjoy the luxury of a bamboo chair for two.

Along the river bank their is plenty to take pictures of. Kasts, water falls, entrances to caves, water buffalo, ducks by the thousands and people doing a myriad of activities. I can understand the tourist pull to this area, as it's an action packed boat ride. We had lunch on the boat with the added option of fresh local produce gathered from those fishing on the river along the way. One couple on our table ordered tiny fried crab and little fish that looked like sardines, which were really tasty.

Our journey finished up at Yangshuo with the obligatory photo with the crusty old fisherman and his working bird Cormorants. We then had to dodge our way through the most amazing market with everything from silver to plastic. I got a 55% off barter today, so I'm on my way to a 70% bargain. I think I was still ripped off, but the money will be put to good use in the community I guess.

The return journey back to Guilin was again a fascinating insight into the people moving devices used by the locals. One of the strangest vehicles I saw looks like a Rhino on wheels. Basically it's a small ute tray on four wheels with a tiny cabin coupled to a rather large motor mower engine thrust out the front. Hanging off the side of the engine are a couple of large fan belts connected to the drive train. This monstrosity can carry almost anything and can be loaded up to the height of a large tour bus.

The other fascinating vehicle is the seemingly millions of scooters everywhere. It's the major source of transport in Guilin. The funniest and scariest thing is seeing a family of four riding these tiny vehicles. The oldest child is standing up under dads chin hanging on to the handle bars, while the youngest child is fast asleep between mum and dad with mum securing him or her in place by hanging onto dad. None of them is wearing helmets, obviously another population control method.

It was another amazing day, totally unexpected and well worth the time. Tomorrow we fly to Shanghai, one of the few Chinese cities with a long history of interaction with the west.

Ben & Mum


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Location:Guilin