After an hour's drive from Yangshuo, Guilin had some surprises we never expected: pagodas in the middle of a lake, rice terraces carved by hand over centuries, women whose hair is longer than they are tall, and a cave lit like another world.
Arriving in Guilin
We squeezed into a van and reached Guilin in the morning. Our room wasn't ready, so we left the bags and went straight out to walk around the lakes towards the Sun and Moon Pagodas. That afternoon we cooled off in the hotel pool. It had an incredible view, and humidity was around 90%.
Elephant Trunk Hill
My Meta glasses guided me there ("in 50 metres you will reach your destination"). Legend says the hill is one of the Jade Emperor's elephants, so enchanted by Guilin's beauty that it refused to leave and has been drinking from the Li River ever since. On the way, a photographer insisted on taking my picture, which was embarrassing. Then we tried an 8D cinema experience at a local vision park, which is great if you have kids. A group of schoolchildren stopped to interview us in English ("What's your favourite food?" "Hamburger and pizza." "You're not Italian, you're American!").
Longji Rice Terraces and the Yao women
The next day was the highlight: a couple of hours' drive to the Longji Rice Terraces. The Zhuang and Yao peoples carved them entirely by hand over more than 600 years, and they climb the mountains like the scales of a sleeping dragon. After all that climbing, have a freshly made juice: my watermelon and mango was fantastic.
The Yao are mountain people who trace their ancestry back to Panhu, a legendary dragon-dog who won the hand of an emperor's daughter. "Where there's a mountain, there's a Yao." The Red Yao women cut their hair only once in their lives, around the age of 18. They weave the cut lock back into their hair and wash it in fermented rice water. It often grows longer than they are tall and stays jet black into old age.
Reed Flute Cave and the night cruise
The Reed Flute Cave takes its name from the reeds outside, which locals used to make flutes. People have visited it for more than 1,200 years, and today coloured lights turn the rock into a magical underground world. In the evening we walked along the lakes and saw the Sun and Moon Pagodas lit up. The golden Sun Pagoda is said to be the tallest copper pagoda in the world, and the two are linked by a tunnel under the lake. Then came the "Two Rivers and Four Lakes" night cruise, with shows, dances and a lock system worth the ride on its own.
East and West Alleys
We had dinner in the East and West Alleys. A lady handed me a sweet with peanuts inside (if you know what it's called, tell me in the comments). Don't miss the local "osmanthus" ice cream, which I misheard as "asbestos" in the video! Guilin and Yangshuo left us with a deep sense of peace. If you're planning a trip to China, they're a must.