China 2017: 23 – 800+ marble steps to Moon Hill

aboard the #2 bus

Yulong Scenic Area

     Not too far south of Yangshuo there is a scenic area with various points of interest in the Yulong River area. The Yulong is a tributary of the Li Jiang. We decided to take the #2 bus that we had scouted out a few days earlier to Moon Hill, one of the points of interest along the scenic route.

Moon Hill

       Moon Hill is an unusual karst peak with a hole in it that, from a distance, looks like a half moon and, according to the tourist literature, can change shape from full circle to crescent as you change your vantage point. Well, perhaps whoever wrote the tourist brochure was a little over excited or, maybe, a little intoxicated. It looked mostly like a half moon to me.

almost there

800 steps is 800 steps marble or not

       Moon Hill was the third of my “hundreds of steps” challenges after Yellow Dragon Cave in Wulingyuan and the steps up to the pavilion overlooking the Dong Village in Sanjiang. A notice informed me that it was “about 800 stairs paved with marble” up to the hole in the wall called Moon Hill. Marble, granite, concrete or old railroad ties, 800 steps is 800 steps. Since we were there, there was no point in not climbing the 800 steps to reach the “moon”.

the view from the "Moon"

a fire to warm your backside

"Yeah, whatever, it's cool by me!"

a        It was a slog but we managed to reach the threshold of the moon and were immediately accosted by some old ladies not much younger than me selling souvenirs and drinks. We marveled that these crones climbed that damned hill every day to make a little extra income while we were huffing and puffing—the stamina and hardiness of these people is impressive. It's embarrassing to admit how spoiled and soft we are. The old girls were good sports though. It was a bit chilly up there and they had a nice fire going, so I bought a Coke and sat by the fire and engaged in some good-natured bantering with them while they tried to sell their postcards and more drinks as we all sat and mugged for the camera. Guess I can still turn a few heads . . . as long as they're over 65. Great fun!

the 1500-year-old Banyan Tree

rope-man seems to be
 talking on a smart phone

branch braces are actually living tree trunks
 ingrown with the branches of the Banyan Tree

       After climbing back down the hill we walked a couple kilometers along the scenic road to a 1500-year-old Banyan Tree. Apart from its impressive size, the interesting thing about the tree is that it has living trees for supports that are actually grafted to the Banyan. The Banyan Tree is popular with visitors of all ages—mugging for the camera, taking a raft to a cave across the pond, entertained by a quartet of performing monkeys. . .

holes in the limestone are a common feature
of the karst mountains

bamboo raft and raftsman

performing monkeys . . . resting 

performing madames . . . tadaaa

"Let's see, what can I shoot next?"

       After leaving the Banyan Tree we continued walking another couple kilometers to the Yulong River bridge. Rafting on the Yulong River is a popular tourist activity and the People's Bridge is the terminal point for rafting trips. 

Yulong River rafting terminal from People's Bridge

any old port in a storm

       After all that walking and climbing the “marble stairs” we were tired and caught a bus back to town. After a no fuss no muss junk food fix at the local Burger King in Yangsuo we spent the evening resting at the Nana Hotel. I worked on my notes and photos while R.B. worked on her blog (she can log on to hers in China—it's not, unlike mine, blocked). 

China 2017: 22 – Water, Air, Earth and Fire

    A few visual impressions of Yangshuo and the Li Jiang river that runs through it. 

China 2017: 21 – Yangshuo; getting oriented

     Finding your way around in a new place, especially if you are staying for a couple weeks, is the first order of business. These are the necessary activities of finding the market, local transportation, restaurants, things to do, etc. Well rested after a good night's sleep, energized with a couple cups of strong coffee, we set out to explore Yangshuo. Naturally, we were hungry . . .

rear window

       There was a restaurant just around the corner from the Nana Hotel that offered western-style breakfasts. The place was empty but a woman said she would fix us some breakfasts. It took quite a while to get the food but it was good enough. While waiting, a young couple in wedding clothes were posing for a photo op outside the window—glamorous photo shoots are a popular activity in China as we noticed last year in Dali, Li Jiang, Shuhe in Yunnan Province.



Yangshuo nestled in its karst mountains

     The town of Yangshuo itself is compact, nestled in its karst limestone mountain peaks, walkable and charming. . . and a popular tourist destination for Chinese and other visitors

Senior Citizens Center? 

Video: Senior Songfest in the Park

          There is a large public park in easy walking distance. These parks seem to function as senior citizens centers everywhere in China. They are full of elderly people doing different things to entertain themselves: some just sitting and walking around, other playing different kinds of games and apparently gambling, one group was engaged in playing some traditional instruments and singing traditional (I assume) songs; people seemed to join in or walk out as the spirit moved.

monument - Resistance
 to WWII occupation

In search of Moon Hill

West Street - the main tourist drag

walking in the rain

       It had started to rain so we stopped by the hotel and asked to borrow a couple of umbrellas and then went exploring farther afield from the West Street central tourist area. There is a karst mountain peak formation known as Moon Hill a few kilometers south of town that we wanted to see. We decided to check out the location of a local bus to get there but were as yet unfamiliar with the public transportation system. Our guidebook said there was a bus terminal where you could take a bus (#2) to Moon Hill. After a couple kilometers walking along in a busy decidedly unscenic part of town there was no sign of a “bus terminal”.

crossroads

 over shot the "South Terminal" -
far background on left center of the photo

       We came to a major crossroads and walked into a nearby hotel and asked the desk clerk where the bus terminal was located. She pointed us in the same southerly direction we had been walking. Shrugging our shoulders we continued south, saw nothing resembling a “bus Station” but stopped at a muddy spot from where we could see a few buses that appeared to be stopped back in the direction from which he had just come and had overlooked. It looked something like a bus congregation point—hard to call it a “terminal”, but we decided to backtrack and check it out. There it was, the “bus terminal”! You can change buses there to go to Moon Hill. It also turned out that you don't have to walk that far, you can take another bus (#5) in town to the “South Bus Terminal” and change buses there for the #2 to go to Moon Hill. We had sore feet, but learned a lot in one day. In any new town, the first couple days are the hardest.

the #2 bus to Moon Hill

Drinks and Dinner

       All this walking and mind bending confusion called for a drink. Picked up a bottle of wine from the market and borrowed a corkscrew and some wine glasses from the mini hotel bar. Before going up to our room we asked the desk clerk about renting bicycles and taking a bamboo boat trip on the Yulong River, a tributary of the Li Jiang. The hotel clerk said they would be happy to arrange them. Had a couple glasses of wine in our room before going out to eat at a Chinese style “food court”--a very busy and noisy place with great ambiance and spicy lamb kebabs. 

spicy lamb kebab

food court

China 2017: 20 - cruising down the Li Jiang

ghosts at 5 AM

     It was still dark when we got up at 5AM. A glance out the window showed a low cloud ceiling threatening rain. Sure enough, the weather worsened, the cloud ceiling lowered even more and it started to rain while we were having our morning pick-me-up coffee in our room.

      Checked out of the hotel at 07:30 and waited for our car which, due to the heavy rain, was delayed about 20 minutes. The drive in the rain was all dark rain-streaked windows and rush hour traffic. Traffic was extremely heavy and congested, especially the motor bike traffic—and endless stream of rain gear bedecked bikes and drivers sloshing along in their own bike lanes crisscrossing at intersections. It looked like something out of a Sci-Fi dystopia novel—unbelievable, but all the more so because it was true. It looked ominous for our boat ride down the Li Jiang. It seemed we couldn't have picked a worse day—all we could see was fog shrouded river banks.

riverboats

passenger-staff argument
in the passenger cabin

     Our driver was very helpful and resourceful in helping us with the usual language problems. With his help (and smart phone translator) and the boat company officials we finally found and boarded the right boat. After about half an hour the boat got underway and started heading down the Li Jiang to Yangshuo where we planned to spend the next two weeks. As we headed south the clouds began to break and the rain abated.

terrified tot

       We soon began to see the familiar shapes of the well-photographed karst mountains. The rain had stopped and the cloud ceiling was lifting leaving patches of fog in valleys and sort of outlining and defining the mountain peaks. Most passengers were leaving the closed cabin and heading up to upper outside deck. It was breathtakingly beautiful and we realized how lucky (despite the inauspicious start) we were to be aboard at this time just after the rain. By now, just about everybody was out of the cabin on the top deck taking pictures galore, just like me. You sort of go crazy, like stuffing food until you can't eat anymore. Amazing that my battery held out. But, don't worry, I shall restrain myself with the pix.

    

survival lunch

      Once the passengers were sated with taking pictures of the karst mountains and each other and probably getting hungry, the crew served lunch in the main passenger cabin. The lunch included in the fare was more or less like airplane food (which basically means survival) and we finally arrived at Yangshuo's Dragonhead Quay.  

kilometer-long
covered shopping arcade

       Pandemon- ium! There was a long roofed arcade (it seemed like a kilometer long) flanked with shops on one side and the Li Jiang on the other. Passengers had no choice but to walk the entire gauntlet of souvenir shops before debouching into the ordinary street. 

schmoozing and playing cards

       Finally out of that noisy arcade we still had to walk another kilometer or more pulling and dragging a small wheeled suitcase along cobblestone streets. The riverbank is nicely laid out with tables and seats for resting and schmoozing with friends, etc. We struggled along until, using a hand drawn map, we found our hotel, the Nana Hotel. By then there was some none too welcome sunshine and it got very warm, almost hot, lugging the baggage along the uneven stone pavement. 

       The Nana Hotel is in a quiet street, cool and shaded, surrounded by a garden and a small creek. Quite quaint and charming after the huge Li Jiang Waterfall Hotel in Guilin. Our room was a spacious corner room with lots of windows, a relaxing view of the garden and creek on two sides and a nice deep claw-foot type bathtub. Just the thing to soak away the exhaustion of the stressful walk into the town from the boat landing.