In planning this 18-day China adventure, today was one of the days we were most looking forward to. We booked a private bike tour of the Yangshuo countryside through Bike Asia and the entire experience far exceeded our expectations. It was a memory we'll always reflect back on.
We met Yuan, our private guide, at the Bike Asia office, picked out our bikes and helmets and were off. Once again, the heat is oppressive. The locals keep telling us this is cooler temperatures, that they have already started their fall season. If this is true, I can not imagine what the heat feels like in the summer months... And that's coming from a chica who spent two summers living in the middle of the desert. It's like biking thirty kilometers in a steam room!
But as we biked through the picturesque countryside along the Yulong River, the beauty of the landscape minimized the uncomfortableness of the heat. The collection of karst mountain peaks in every direction continues to stun as their reflection shimmers on the water. This was our backdrop for the entire day as we cycled through small villages passing locals working in the fields, washing laundry in the creek, playing with their kids in the street or just hanging in the shade. It was an authentic snapshot of what life is like in the small countryside villages of southwest China.
Three hours into our adventure, we arrived at Dragon Bridge, where we handed our bikes over to Yuan and boarded a bamboo raft for a relaxing hour and a half float down the Yulong River. It was a perfect break to rest and recharge mid-way through our bike ride. In full disclosure, I need to add that the water was more of a greenish brown color than a clean blue, but the culture and way of life here is different than what we are used to in the states. If you are prepared for these differences, it allows you to appreciate the beauty of the area for what it is through non-judgemental eyes. If it's this beautiful now despite generations of human influence, I can only imagine what it looked like hundreds of years ago in its pristine state.
We went down several small waterfalls, splashing down onto the lower water below. Yuan was waiting for us with the bikes when we got to the dock and we pedaled to the nearby village of Jiuxian for a late lunch. She ordered for us, choosing local specialities such as young bamboo shoots with chicken, rice noodles with vegetables and squash with duck eggs. And then she disappeared into the kitchen to help cook our meal. We are really enjoying our time with her and appreciate her desire to share the local culture and customs with us. And she's a great cook... The food was delicious!!
After lunch, we strolled through the village, home to just two families, but in China extended families live together, so home to more people than you're thinking. On the bike ride back to Yangshuo, we went by several primary schools letting out for the day and after spending forty-four years as an elementary school teacher, my mom was really excited to see what a school looks like here in China and to watch the children with their backpacks fill the streets at the end of the school day. We saw moms and dads on their scooters picking up their kids, packing as many as four people onto the same bike. Pretty impressive.
We came into town in the middle of rush hour and traffic was intense... Cars, scooters, fellow bikers and pedestrians coming at you from every angle, in every direction. It was nerve racking trying to navigate a bike through the chaos, but we stayed close behind Yuan and followed her lead. We managed to survive to tell you about it, but I'm guessing there has to be a lot of accidents here.
We decided reflexology and a beer would be a great way to end the day and after our hour session, we were wondering why we hadn't done this every night since we arrived. It was exactly what our feet needed after all of the biking, hiking and sightseeing we've done in the last week. The beers hit the spot too... Well deserved after a full day on bikes!!
No comments:
Post a Comment