Another pancake breakfast at the hotel, bought more water in the store next door and picked up the sandwiches I had ordered at the hotel with thought of this days lunch. A row of bicycles were standing in front of the hotel, and we had to pick one. They were basically alike, so it was mostly a question of checking the tires for air etc. Then we rode the bikes the short trip down to the river, and went off in the same boat we had used the night before. The bicycles were lifted up on the roof of the boat. There are quite a few of this kind of boats on the river, and those who work there seems to live on them as well. The boat trip up the Li River lasted about 3 hours. On our way we stopped in a small village called Fuli, where there was a market day. While we were riding along the river it rained, but thankfully it had stopped when we got to where we were going. Along the river there was a beautiful landscape with strange limestone karst formations, water buffaloes swimming by or grazing along the water, women washing clothes on some of the many stairs going down to the water, houseboats, rafts with fishermen on them (and trees and bushes full of garbage due to some flood). Adrianne, Lillian and Joan took the boat back, and so did John who was ill. 

The rest of us rode the 18 kilometres back to Yangshou. I was a bit nervous, I hadn’t been riding a bike since I was about 15 years old. It took some time getting used to the brakes being up front, not in the pedals, and also to use the gears. In the beginning I was stressing and struggling, and didn’t manage to take in any of the landscape. But after a while I got into the rhythm of it, and fortunately there weren’t many up-hill stretches (and then I would walk my bike). Other than that it was flat or down hill. The sun started shining, and it turned out to be a really nice ride, one of the highlights of the trip. The roads we were riding through the landscape was surrounded by rice fields, small houses and villages, and of course the fantastic limestone karst peaks. The crickets sometimes made as much noise as a highway. We saw a lot of butterflies. Several places we saw duck-farms. Primitive tractors drove along the roads. People walked along the road carrying heavy burdens. Little children waving and calling ”hello” (a word every Chinese seem to know, and they are happy when you answer). As we sat on a green spot under some trees to eat our lunch, a man came walking by leading a water buffalo by the hand. So it was definitely a nice trip, although it became a bit scary at the end when we got into the city with its city traffic. We were back already around 1 p.m. I was wet with sweat, so I had to have a shower. After that I finally got around to send my postcards, which I had written a week earlier. Seems a bit of a waste now that I send e-mails, but I guess people still like to receive postcards. After that I went shopping on Xi Jie, the main backpacker street in Yangshou. Of my cash I only had 600 Yuan left, and the plan was to have nothing left when leaving the city, I didn’t want to change any of my travellers cheques before I got to Hong Kong. And what do you know, I managed to use 300 Yuan in only a couple of hours, and still had time to go. After a while it started raining, and I walked back to the hotel to relax and enjoy my bounty.

I forgot to mention that I went for a walk outside the tourist ghetto, the ”real China” is actually only a parallel street away. There is a market in a large brick hall where they sell fruit, herbs, vegetables, meat (dead and alive) and cheese. The market continues out on the street, with more fruit and vegetables, clothes, all you could need for the house etc. And all kind of small businesses, like a dentist standing digging in his patients mouth in full sight of everyone walking by.

I love the sight of the Chinese babies, and the way they don’t use diapers. Instead they have trousers with and opening in the crotch. From an early age they are trained to let the parents know when they have to go, and then they are held up over the nearest ditch (hopefully) to do their business. Another thing about Chinese children is what they call the “little emperor syndrome”. This have to do with the fact that the one-child policy brings with it some very spoiled children. It was obvious even to us as visitors that many children seemed very spoiled. They also looked bigger and fatter than their parents. 

That evening I met Yvonne, Nancy, Vicky I and II to go for dinner, and we picked up Steve along the way. We went to Rosewood Cafe where the others had eaten yesterday, and had a lovely meal (Vicky II saw a mouse running by on a ledge on the wall, though). We had Vietnamese spring rolls for starters, tiny and filled with vegetables, very crispy, dipped in some kind of Soya sauce – excellent. For a main course I had chicken breast with sesame seeds in honey sauce and rice with peanuts. It was very good, but a bit odd. It was supposed to be French, but it is like they aren’t really able to make Western food the way it is supposed to be even when they try (and they would probably say the same thing about Chinese food in the West). Together with Nancy and Yvonne I shared a wonderful bottle of Merlot red wine. Chinese wines aren’t much to write home about, so since I don’t like beer I was drinking mainly water to every meal. The local beer is supposed to be good, though. For dessert I had chocolate cake!