Originally we wanted to go to Gurong Watertown last Sunday (see newsletter), but the evening before our tour-organizer informed us (surprise, surprise) that the town has closed its doors.

As it was too late to inform everyone we decided to start the tour as planned but make a little hike a little further down the original destination and visit the house of the family of a sunny hiking club member:

The first rays of sunshine are peaking through the clouds and temperatures are finally back in the double digits. What better way to celebrate than go pick some of the first strawberries of the season?

Those of you that subscribed to our newsletter (hint, hint) had the chance of joining us and the Sunny Hiker Group last Saturday to the strawberry fields in Daxu. If you missed the tour or had to work, here are some photos:

Last monday we took a car to Huangyao, which is about 200km away from Guilin. We started early in the morning so we were lucky enough to arrive before the hordes of tourists.

Huangyao is a well preserved, around 1000 years old settlement. As many others it has already been blessed with being discovered by mass tourism which lead to a rather hefty entrance fee of RMB70 per person. Still, I would say it was worth the money.

Inside the compound, Huangyao is way better than other places like Yangshuo or Daxu. Of course there are little stalls selling fake antiques and Mao-Bibles, but it is much more laid back. Nobody tries to pull you into their shops. I bought a traditional dress for my little daugther and paid only RMB 20 without much bargaining.

Should you go there, remember to bring some snacks. While you can get pickled veggies and cooked eggs easily, there are not many restaurants. (Actually, we saw only one).  To finish this rather short report, here are some photos: (For more photos please visit our Huangyao Photo Gallery)

“Lifechangingtravel” just reviewed the list of world’s most threatened tourist sites.

For Yangshuo they had the following to say:

“Now the town attracts more than three million visitors a year – more than it can easily sustain,” the magazine stated.

However, there are steps those on a gap year in China can take to ensure their visit does not have a detrimental effect on the locale, it added.

These include hiring a bicycle and pedalling through the nearby hamlets, hiking through the mountains or rock-climbing, rather than using too much transport.

We have one more suggestions to give: Don’t go there at all!

<beginning of rant>

Seriously, why does everyone want get on a cramped, overpriced tourist boat, get carted down the Li River while getting the membranous blasted out by the obnoxious tour guide explaining sites through his megaphone? When arriving in Yangshuo you’re directly greeted by an armada of hawkers, beggars and looky-looky people that will follow you on your whole trip.

The city itself, while situated in a REALLY beautiful setting,   doesn’t have much to offer either… that means, except you want to buy bags full of souvenirs.

<end of rant>

Yes, you could rent a bike and escape to the country side, but why not directly go off the beaten track and visit something less spoiled by modern mass tourism?

There are so many places around that are worth a visit: Xing’an,  Daxu,  Xiong Cun, Liang Jiang, just to name a few.  You will get less hawkers, better food and a real glimpse at country life in China.

The German speaking “China Observer” reported that from now on it will be possible to get “on-arrival” tourist visas in Guilin Liangjiang International Airport.

This is, if true, good news for last minute tourists who don’t have time to shuffle to the Chinese embassy in their home country to apply for a visa. The maximum duration is limited to 30 days. It is not known if these on-arrival visas can be extended by another 30 days like “normal” Chinese tourist visas.

To get the visa you need to take a visa application form, a passport photo with white background and a copy of you passport (+ the passport of course) with you.

The “Port Visa Office” at the Airport is open the whole day:

Tel: +86 0773 2845053
Fax: +86 0773 2845053

The visa fees are CNY 130 for group tours and CNY 160 for single travelers.

source: http://www.china-observer.de/index.php?entry=entry100117-084010