On This Day: May 11th 2015 - On the Li River
This morning I was late to the dining room, everybody from my party were already seated when I arrived. I was ushered to a table at the far end of the dining room. I asked to be seated with my party, but this was not possible, I had to sit at the allocated table. Foolishly I pressed my argument, then it dawned on me, I was in some Chinese version of Fawlty Towers and this woman was Manuel in drag. It was pointless to argue.
The toaster worked, they provided soup bowls for the toast, a novel innovation I thought. The bacon was real and the eggs almost speedy.
Outside the day was misty. We took a bus to a wharf on the Li River for a scenic cruise past some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in China. Jennifer, our guide, said the mist would add soft light to our photos, so we should not be despondent.
The plan was to cruise 3½ hours through impressive gorges and tranquil farming villages to the town of Yangshou. There we'd explore the cobblestone streets, experience the local life and do some bargain shopping in the colourful markets before returning to Guilin by road in the late afternoon. It all sounded too good to be true, and so it was.
This photo was taken a short time after we left Guilin, the mountains were spectacular, this landscape on a sunny day would have been amazing.
On This Day: May 11th 2015 - On the Li River
This morning I was late to the dining room, everybody from my party were already seated when I arrived. I was ushered to a table at the far end of the dining room. I asked to be seated with my party, but this was not possible, I had to sit at the allocated table. Foolishly I pressed my argument, then it dawned on me, I was in some Chinese version of Fawlty Towers and this woman was Manuel in drag. It was pointless to argue.
The toaster worked, they provided soup bowls for the toast, a novel innovation I thought. The bacon was real and the eggs almost speedy.
Outside the day was misty. We took a bus to a wharf on the Li River for a scenic cruise past some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in China. Jennifer, our guide, said the mist would add soft light to our photos, so we should not be despondent.
The plan was to cruise 3½ hours through impressive gorges and tranquil farming villages to the town of Yangshou. There we'd explore the cobblestone streets, experience the local life and do some bargain shopping in the colourful markets before returning to Guilin by road in the late afternoon. It all sounded too good to be true, and so it was.
This photo was taken a short time after we left Guilin, the mountains were spectacular, this landscape on a sunny day would have been amazing.