Zài jiàn (Goodbye) Yangshuo

On the last day we had planned a hike in the mountains however bad weather prevented us from doing it, so instead we decided to explore more of the town. When I was in China in November I got to try amazing tea, so I wanted to get more to bring back to Hong Kong and to send home. After a bit of shopping we spotted a temple on top of one of the hills and decided to try to find a way up. We walked through a beautiful park before spotting stairs.  The walk up was lovely as we were surrounded by trees, hills, and every so often views of the town below. It was absolutely stunning at the top! Even now I look at the pictures and still can't believe I was actually there. Although we didn't get to do the original hike this totally made up for it.

I spot a way up...

Come on, let's goooo!

Hello Yangshuo

China once again you were amazing, the landscape, the people, the food, I can't get enough of you! Final words about Yangshuo: GO, there, now.

Xingping

On the second day we awoke unsure if yesterday had just been a dream,  but we're pinched into reality as we headed to another town in the region called Xingping.  The drive was about an hour and provided more beautiful scenery.  Xingping has the famous imagine seen on the 20 Yuan Chinese currency.  There we wandered the streets, took in the scenery and then hopped on a boat and cruised along the Li River.  I really loved Xingping, it was less touristy than Yangshuo which made it feel slightly more authentic.

In the evening we headed back to Yangshuo to see a show called Impressions Sanjie Lui. It's a light show featuring locals and professionals put on by the man who directed the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  I couldn't take photos but it was incredible!! You never know with these shows but I would recommend it to everyone!!

Yangshuo

With Easter just around the corner everyone began making travel plans. I had originally thought I wouldn't be able to join anyone however that all changed when a simple Google search for weekend trips from Hong Kong led me to Yangshuo...

I had never heard of this place but the reviews were extremely positive and the flight prices convinced me. We flew out of Shenzhen, which is the first mainland China city from Hong Kong. The journey through the border was less than pleasant with public holiday chaos, but from there everything was a breeze. After what seemed like the shortest flight ever we arrived in Guilin, which is just an hour and a bit from Yangshuo. This whole region is full of hills and mountains, arriving at night all we could see were outlines of this impressive landscape. Our imagination wandered and we couldn't wait to wake up the next day to see it all!

And so we woke up excited and ready to explore. The picture above is the first thing we saw. Speechless, I think is the best way to describe how we felt.  The reviews and pictures had not lied one bit, if anything they didn't do it justice. We went to town to grab some breakfast before renting bikes to explore!

I pretty much rode the whole way with my mouth open in amazement. You know how sometimes you travel far to go see something impressive and then you see it, appreciate it, take a picture and that's it? Well not Yangshuo, it's a 360 experience, everywhere you look is another set of hills, rivers, and fields. 

First stop were the Silver Caves, which gave us a better idea of what was inside all these impressive hills. They lit up the caves with all sorts of colors. Next we went to another cave which had a mud bath and hot springs. I've never been to a mud bath and at first I hated the sensation of it. It felt like being in thick chocolate, minus the delicious chocolate, but then I loved it!! 

Please note these pictures in no way do justice to the beauty of this place, no words can describe it. I will do my best but the only thing I can truly say is GO THERE!

Return to the Motherland: Asia Edition

About two and a half years ago my life completely changed as I embarked on a journey to Paris. This blog began then too, where I documented the ups and downs of my experience. Things didn't quite turn out the way I had envisioned but from that an incredible journey marked the beginning of my 20s.

Today, at 22 I am making another leap and moving from Toronto to Hong Kong.  My goal is simple: I want to discover Asia. Having recently graduated from university I also want to discover what it is I want to do for the rest of my life.  Because money unfortunately doesn't grow on trees, I took a job teaching English to get a start on my adventure.  Learning from experience, I am going to live day by day and allow this journey to take its course...

Shanghai by night

If you thought this city was impressive during the day, you won't believe how magical it is at night.  On our last night we did a similar walk as the first day along The Bund.   We made sure to enjoy the temperature (which was significantly warmer than Toronto) and took in the famous skyline one last time.  After wandering the streets we headed back to the hostel where we had a few drinks before calling it a night.

Danielle, me, Morgan

The next day before catching our flight we made an important stop at the grocery store where we got tons of goodies for our friends and loved ones back home. I want to thank Maja for being such a great friend and making this trip possible :) and Morgan and Danielle for adding to the fun!

China, you were incredible. I will be back!

The more traditional side

What I love about cities like Shanghai is that although they are modernizing and moving extremely quickly, you can still find the traditional aspects. We began our day at the Jade Buddha Temple, which was incredibly beautiful.  One of my favorite courses in university was World Religions, and getting to see a place of worship like this one is an experience I truly appreciate.

Next we went to "Old Shanghai" which reminded me of the Hutongs from Beijing.  However it was a bit too crowded and touristy for me.  I would still recommend going, because it does reflect what this city once looked like!

Next post: Last day in China :(

Good Morning Shanghai!

We arrived bright and early in Shanghai and went directly to our hostel to freshen up. Right away the air felt different than in Beijing, maybe it was just because it was warmer or maybe because after everything from the previous day it was just nice to finally be here!

After a quick shower, we headed out to the financial district which is also right by the TV tower.  As soon as we stepped out of the subway we were blown away by this futuristic city, we snapped endless photos from every angle of the TV tower.  Next we walked to the waterfront. We wanted to get to the other side of the river to walk along the Bund, which is where you get a view of that famous Shanghai skyline. We ended up walking much further than we needed to but this turned out to be a good thing because we got to take the ferry across, which made for another awesome experience.  

This city is incredible, the vibe is so modern and futuristic with pieces of Europe and traditional China. I loved it!! 

Me, Morgan, and Danielle on the ferry

Panoramic view from The Bund

Next post: Traditional Shanghai....

A little work out - Beijing to Shanghai Edition

The 24 hours leading up to our arrival in Shanghai were action packed to say the least...

That morning as I previously mentioned we walked around some of Beijing's hutongs.  Before lunch we went to a supermarket so Maja could get goodies to bring back to Canada, we then rushed to eat something before heading to the airport.  I'd say the best way to describe the following events would be by calling it a work out? We dragged our luggage through the subway (which lacked in elevators and escalators) to get to the airport and then our last minute plan of going to Shanghai meant figuring out a train that left that night. Just a side note- the chaos and last minute is what I love about travelling so this did not bother me at all, instead I knew a great story was in the midst of being created! At the airport after Maja was checked in, we went to the train counter to figure out our options. In what turned into lost in translation/hoping somewhere in there we understood each other, we booked an overnight train.

At the Beijing Airport!
Morgan, me, Maja, Danielle

After a hard goodbye (I hate saying bye, especially because this one meant Maja wasn't joining us) we went back to the subway to go to the train station. Now I know many of you are familiar with the term rush hour, but until you've seen rush hour in China in the subway, you just haven't experienced it.  We were at a transfer point, just 3 stops away when we realized we wouldn't make it on a train. So plan b, we'd grab a cab or find out if walking was an option.  I asked a police officer if it was far and if it would be possible to walk, you must know the people of China were very friendly and always so helpful, but in this situation both I and the cop were convinced we understood each other, which is what led to the next event... Three stops turned into about a 45 minute (maybe more) walk. We just hadn't realized the distance between each stop and dragging our luggage of course slowed us down. Thank god we are all positive people so our spirits remained high throughout the ordeal. Finally we made it to the train station, Hallelujah!!! BUT the story does not end here haha

The most beautiful thing we could see after an hour of walking

After eating something quickly and hydrating, it was time for boarding. This train station was bigger than most airports, people began crowding the boarding area and then all of the sudden shouting and pushing happened, it turned into a small riot, and we stood to the side completely lost by what was happening as we just didn't understand what anyone was saying.  Finally a girl tells me that people with fake tickets were trying to get on, which led to fighting between them and the guards (the issue here is much deeper as the girl was trying to explain to me however I cannot say I am educated enough on socio-political issues in China to make any commentary).  We needed to get on that train, we were drained, we had no other options. Danielle and Morgan just started pushing their way through, I followed. Guards took notice and surrounded us to help us navigate and get through the gate. Finally we made it through, when suddenly I lost hold of my suitcase and was swarmed by people, the guards again took charge and helped me and my luggage through. We quickly found our cabin sat down and the locked the door. We just starred at each other in disbelief and exhaustion of what had happened in the previous hours.  Again I am so grateful these girls are so positive, we ended up laughing it off, remarking that all that walking and lugging around definitely counted for at least a week in the gym and in the morning we'd be in Shanghai!

Everything on Shanghai tomorrow....

Hutong

On Friday, Maja unfortunately had to go back to Canada but before she left we spent the morning wandering Beijing!  Hutongs are traditional neighborhoods with narrow streets and low structures that make up what Beijing used to look like.  One of the most famous ones was just a 20 minute walk away from our hostel.  On our way there we actually ended up getting lost in another hutong. Both were beautiful, the famous one was very touristic while the other was where only locals live which made for a nice contrast. This really reaffirms my philosophy that the best way to discover a city is to get lost in it!

Morgan, Maja, Me

You know it's a touristic area when Starbucks is there

This was our last day in Beijing :( 

Next stop Shanghai!!