Addopted
00:08
Wow, wow and thrice wow!
Yesterday was great, the map was vaguely useful and we made it back to Yangshou safely after 20 odd miles on the bicyles. So it is with new found confidence we head out to 'Dragon Bridge' which is somewhere up the Yu Long river.
Er where was I, oh yes floating down the Yu Long on a bamboo raft amongst amazing Karst mountains. It's only in the last 5 minutes that we come across more tourists all Chinese and all who feel the need to wave, shout 'hello, where you from' and take our photograph.
With a last push over a particularly high weir, we are soaked, photopraphed again and dropped off on the riverbank, bikes an' all to make our way to the hotel.
Having given up on the map and just at the point of being hopelessly off course (OK 'lost') cycling through various hamlets we are adopted by a Chinese lady who takes it upon herself to guide us the rest of the way.
Through ever more remote villages and weaving our way through paddy fields I wonder if we are being taken home as a present for grandad! (I'm sure we passed Ray Meers at one point). 90 minutes later we pop out at the 'bridge' where coincidently our new foster parent has a bamboo raft waiting to take us back down river. This is win/win as it was just what we are wanting, so all aboard for a serene ride back. And what a ride, spectacular, beautiful, awe inspiring.
It is just non stop, and thanks to the winding cross country single track to get us here, we are sharing the river with the odd fishermen and our raft poler (there is probably a Chinese word for gondalier- gondarier(?) erm maybe that's a disease!).
Er where was I, oh yes floating down the Yu Long on a bamboo raft amongst amazing Karst mountains. It's only in the last 5 minutes that we come across more tourists all Chinese and all who feel the need to wave, shout 'hello, where you from' and take our photograph.
All in all a pretty amazing day!
At least you did not have to worry about Hippos.
It looks as if your boatman has you tied down and is ready to jump raft at first sign of danger. You will be alright as wherever the raft goes you go so he will not lose you.
Robert.
Just seen the HSBC advert with the raft fisherman with his cormorant-type bird and realised after the voiceover that that was in Guilin - see any whilst on your trip? :o)