Guilin Backpack, 6 Days 5 Nights

My Backpack Itinerary 24/9/11 – 29/9/11, Guilin

Our iti was affected slightly. Phew! Our flight, AK102, facing technical problem after flying off for 1 hour + , forcing a return landing at KLIA : O

.... relieved! ........I AM still ALIVE : )

Album https://photos.app.goo.gl/QZAiKorrmj6a4yh18


































































24/9/11 (AK102-0625/1025)
AIRPORT – PINGAN - LONG JI ONE
One way airport-Pingan, 2.5hrs 350y/car, pre-booked with Long Ji One or from Guilin train station take the direct bus/van 10:00AM 2:00PM 40yuan/person to Longji One in Pingan Village.
From the entrance, walk straight, cross the wooden bridge, continue climbing stone stairs. After 5 mins, you will see Long An Hotel (on your left) , take the path on your right, the one that goes up the hill. Climb for 5-6mins and you will see Longji One signboard on your right side.
If you are traveling with luggage, you may get porters to carry. It costs Y20-40 per piece/way (depending on the weight).
PINGAN, Long Ji One Hotel
liaochunnuan@163.com msn:longjiyilou@hotmail.com hp: +86 158 78362703 tel: +86 773 7583597 .Ping'an Stockade, Ping'an Village, Heping Country, Longsheng County 541701, China 桂林市龙胜县和平乡平安村 http://www.zljyl.com/ .good view Double Room 228Y w/o breakfast, non smoking and quiet room .Pingan village @ 80y/entry .private van transport 40y/person to Guilin town .get a map & hike the terrace for viewpoint # 1 and #2 .nice shan sui tofu, bamboo glutinous, bamboo shoots, rice wine .try food at Countryside Cafe 

25/9/11, PINGAN – GUILIN - YANGSHUO
.from Pingan, take the direct bus/van 10:00AM 2:00PM 40yuan/person
.from Guilin Bus Station, take the express bus to Yangshuo (¥18, buy tickets from counter inside terminal) depart every half hour from the Guilin bus terminal off Zhongshan Zhong Lu and take about one and a half hour.


25/9, YANGSHUO, Magnolia Hotel
email: reservatiomailto:reservation@magnoliahotelyangshuo.com @ 260Y with tax, http://www.magnoliahotelyangshuo.com/ .No.7 Diecui Road, Yangshuo County 541900, China Phone 86-773-88 19288 .non smoking and quiet room .5mins walk from bus station .must try vegetarian food .buy gift .cycle through Liu Sanjie Impressions Light Show, Duration: 1 Hour, from 20:00 to 21:00, Ticket rate for C class (ordinary ticket): RMB 198/ USD 30 per person (or 130 RMB if you get it from tour guide). Tickets can be bought at most of the little travel agencies in Yangshuo, who will usually arrange your transport too.


26&27/9, YANGSHUO, Li River Retreat
email: mailto:reservation@magnoliahotelyangshuo.com @ 280Y with tax, std rm (large) *good views .walk to intersection next to Magnolia Hotel and call 8828950 .10mins car transfer to Li River Retreat 3* w electronic blanket & heater (No.1 Shuang Village, Yangshuo County 541900, China) .水岸花园别墅 - 阳朔县双滩村一号- (龙头山码头往里) - Phone: +86 (0)773 8828950 www.li-river-retreat.com .non smoking and quiet room .Yangshou ctr taxi @ 30y .taxi arrange with hotel to town @ 20y .bike @ 20y .20mins walk to town 

Things to do at Yangshuo . Visit West Street and downtown.
. Watch Liu Sanjie Light Show in evening. . Do Li River Cruising with private small boat.
. Do Li River Cruise from Yangdi to Xingping.
. Cycle from Yangshuo to Chaoyang Dock. On the way, enjoy the beautiful Yangshuo countryside landscape, crops, villages and the local life.
. Take bamboo raft from Chaoyang Dock to Gongnong Bridge Dock. One raft can take 2 people. And it takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes.
. Visit Dragon Water Cave. Cycling back to Yangshuo through countryside.
. Watch cormorants fishing in the evening.


28/9/11, YANGSHUO - GUILIN, Sapphire Hotel
agoda @ RM93.19/USD 30.55 with tax *fully paid, standard twin (bigger bed 30sqm) *near Guilin bus station .桂林蓝宝石酒店 No.9 Xicheng Road, Xiangshan District, Guilin 541002, China tel: +86-0773-2863388 .request non smoking & quiet rm .Zhengyang St for food/shopping/bazaar .near taohua river ronghu lake, sun moon pagoda, banyan tree .night visit to sun moon pagoda, excellent view .near elephant trunk .bike around .reed flute cave 90y .15mins walk to bus/train station .check in 12, check out 12, bf 13y .Food: try Rosemary Cafe (Zheng Yang Bu Xing Jie) for western fd, try rice noodle (mee fen at You Yi Xuan, Rong Gui, Liu Bo Niang, Shi Ji), try Congee City at at near the famous sightseeing "Two Rivers and Four Lakes "


29/9/11, GUILIN - AIRPORT .check out 8am .9am take taxi to airport 80y .flight 1110


INTERESTING PLACES around YANGSHUO
Yangdi-Xingping scenic area, (Catch a direct river cruise from Yangshuo or get to Yangdi (90mins, ¥8.0) and Xingping (45 mins, ¥5.5) by minibus from Yangshuo bus terminal, or cycle out there and then take boats or rafts to reach the scenic area.). This stretch along the Li River is probably the most renowned and popular. The traditional bamboo rafts along this stretch have been replaced by rafts made of plastic pipe and 2 stroke motors. The "raft experience" is now a boom industry and hundreds of these small rafts cruise this route when the big tour boats have passed. The rafts are safe and the better operators provide life jackets. Touts in Yangshuo advertise prices as low as ¥88 for this trip, but equilibrium price is about ¥150 per trip. Expect incredibly aggressive hawkers when you arrive in Xingping. The more common Guilin-Yangshuo boat ride passes through this area. There is also a 24km (5 to 6 hours) track for easy hiking along the Li river.


Yulong River valley, (Turn west into a small road from the main Yangshuo bypass road just south of the Sinopec petrol station at the junction of Pantao Lu (there are road signs in Chinese). Or, use the road to Jinbao from Baisha town 9km north of Yangshuo on the main road to Guilin. Minibuses from Yangshuo bus terminal to Jinbao go near Yulong village). The pretty Yulong River valley is said to rival the Yangdi-Xingping stretch in terms of beauty. Besides rafting down the river on bamboo rafts, another popular way of seeing the valley is by cycling along riverside tracks. The journey will bring you through many farming villages and past several stone bridges across the river such as the Yulong Qiao and Fuli Qiao. Be warned though that the track is complicated and it is easy to get lost; using a local guide will ensure you stay on track.


Moon Hill, (Take a Gaotian minibus Yangshuo bus terminal. If you plan to cycle, Moon Hill is located about 8km south of Yangshuo on the road to Wuzhou.). Another popular scenic spot south of town. The main attraction is a hill with a huge hole in the shape of a moon. The hills here can be climbed for spectacular vistas from the top. Getting there: There is a ¥15 entry fee. It's not an incredibly long trek to the top but the gradient and strange angle of the steps can do something strange to your legs on the way down. The Moon Hill Cafe at the base of the hill sells fairly mediocre food at ridiculously high prices, and you may need something after the trek up and down. Alternatively there are a few other places to choose from in nearby Moon Hill Village, and plenty of hawkers selling cool drinks. If it is a slow day, don't be surprized if a hawker follows you up the mountain to make a sale when you are thirsty. The hawkers are mostly harmless old farm women, but they are aggressive. ¥5 is a fair price for two bottles of cold water. They will try to sell it for triple that price. On the road back to Yangshuo, not far from Moon Hill, is the 'Big Banyan Tree' scenic area. A ¥18 entry fee gets you into this popular park by the Yulong river, featuring a 1,400 year old banyan tree. Be sure to use the official entrance (ticket offices at the front), as hawkers will attempt to lure you into an alternative entrance that is lined with dozens of souvenir stalls.

Cormorant Fishing. Local tourism companies offer evening boat trips to watch fisherman using a traditional night fishing technique that employs cormorants.

People’s Park, (just opposite the bus station). A great place to observe the locals playing cards, a national pastime so it would seem. You’ll also see groups of women sitting around talking whilst doing their knitting, some even walk along the street whilst knitting and chatting.


Impression Liu Sanjie. Every day but closed in Jan or Feb for maintenance. 70 minutes long. The show, set to the music from the movie of the same name and produced by the same person that did the Beijing Olympic games opening ceremony, is grand and impressive, but not particularly entertaining. It features a cast of 600+ wearing traditional Zhuang, Miao and Yao dress, and a highly impressive light show. Liu Sanjie translates as Third sister Liu, the heroine of an old Chinese story. You can see the show cheaply from a boat on the river, or even from across the river, but far the best view is from the official seating area. Tickets only sell out in the very height of the summer tourist season. Seats are assigned. ¥188 face value, travel agents sell at about ¥150 for the cheapest seat.