Category Archives: Guilin

Day 7 – Li River Cruise and Cooking Lesson in Yangshuo

There was pouring rain when we left our hotel in the morning, but amazingly, it stopped just in time for our cruise on the Li River. The weather during the rest of the day was overcast but otherwise nice. We enjoyed a relaxing cruise with beautiful scenery and lots of animal and bird sightings.

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Li River Cruise

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After disembarking, we drove to Yangshuo, stopping to look at rice paddies and small plots of other crops along the wayside.

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At Yangshuo, a resort town, we had lunch and a cooking lesson at the Cloud 9 Restaurant. It is the town’s oldest restaurant and cooking school and features local dishes and Sichuan-style cuisine. We prepared kung pao chicken; my culinary masterpiece was pretty good, in my humble opinion.
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Yangshuo


Cooking Class at the Cloud 9 Restaurant

Kung Pao Chicken – My Culinary Masterpiece!
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After returning to the hotel, I took a last stroll through the gardens and mini-zoo, discovering a piglet and Skia deer that I had not seen before (unfortunately, I had left my camera in my room).

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Day 6 – Guilin City Tour and Evening Cruise

We left Xi’an in the morning and flew to Guilin for what would be a relaxing two-day stay. After visiting Beijing with over 21 million people and Xi’an with over 10 million people, Guilin with its population of approximately 800,000 felt small. Rebuilt after its destruction by the Japanese during WWII, Guilin is known for its canal system and the surrounding picturesque limestone mountains. We had a chance to stop and take a stroll in the Two Rivers & Four Lakes Scenic Area before checking into the Shangri-La Hotel.
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Two Rivers & Four Lakes Scenic Area, Guilin


Four #1 Scholars

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The Shangri-La Hotel has gardens and (believe it or not) a mini-zoo with ostriches, peacocks, ducks, chickens, pigeons, pheasants and Australian black swans. The ostriches and peacocks appeared annoyed that I hadn’t brought any food.

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Mini-Zoo, Shangri-la Hotel, Guilin

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After a buffet dinner in the U Bar in the hotel, we went on an evening cruise in the Two Rivers & Four Lake Scenic Area to see the illuminated urban landscape, including several pavilions with live performances by musicians, dancers and acrobats.

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Evening Cruise, Two Rivers & Four Lakes Scenic Area, Guilin


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