Guilin to Haikou

We returned with our 30 day visas to Shezhen where we caught an overnight bus to Guilin. We would meet up with Bill and Cindy. This was the Chinese couple who had adopted us 7 years ago when we visited China and we have kept in touch ever since. They have since married and have a 4 year old son.

The overnight bus was painless with beds instead of seats and we were able to get a decent sleep arriving at 8am.

We used our Chinese printed directions for the taxi and arrived at the hotel we had booked.

We called Cindy who came to pick us up.It was lovely to see her again and be given a tour of the city of Guilin. The temperature was only 6C and the first stop was to buy a hat and gloves—our tropical lifestyle had not equipped us for this!! The city is small and clean by Chinese standards with many parks and gardens. It is at the edge of the kaarst topography typical in the area on the banks of the Li River.

One thing we were aware of in China was the extent that people us the outdoors. The majority of people live in apartment buildings so all social life is conducted outside and in public. Everywhere you go people are exercising—often in groups with dance classes and various martial art groups. People sing and use musical instruments and do not share our sense of embarrassment and privacy.

Dinner was at Cindy’s house and we were introduced to the realities of China. They are affluent and have a large apartment in a gated community with underground parking but we were astonished when we realized that the heating was almost nonexistent. We were about to take off our shoes and jackets but were told to leave them on. They were all wearing the light but warm insulated puffy jackets which everyone seems to wear and we spent the evening in all of our clothes. A neighbor dropped in with her son to visit, similarly clad. They had an ineffective heater which was unable to cope with the large open room. Makes New Zealand houses seem well heated!!

We shared a “hot pot” where you placed the meat and vegs you want into a simmering pot of broth—quite delicious and warming in this cold environment and we did not question the ingredients.

It was amazing to find even in the fanciest hotels and restaurants people wore all of their outdoor clothes. We had been warned that Shanghai a long way north is much colder but nothing is heated there either—we will endeavor to stay south!!

We had arranged a day trip to Yangshou which is the lovely town we had visited on our last time in China. We had been told that tourism had arrived here in the subsequent years but as it was winter it was not busy. We took a river boat for the 3 hours on the Li River which was lovely. The mountains rise up from the banks and surround you. One scene is pictured on the 20 yaun bill.

We met a family from San Francisco who were travelling here. The older man had been born in China and his sister and niece in the States. They were taking a trip to visit Chinese family and renew their roots. It was interesting to meet them and hear their feelings—although they felt connected I do not think that they were sorry their parents had migrated many years before. I had just been rereading the “Joy Luck Club” which seemed very relevant.

When we arrived we had a short time in town and a ride on a bamboo raft on the small river to the 500 year old bridge. It is such a beautiful area with the towering mountains with small rural villages. Life for these people has not changed and we witnessed the cormorants with rings on their necks. They catch a fish but are unable to swallow them and would bring them back to the fishermen on the bamboo rafts who would take the fish and the cormorant would try yet again. Buffalo are used in the fields and the atmosphere was of rural peace. Local children were coming home from school and the village men were gathered for the usual game of cards.  

We were bussed back to Guilin where we met with Cindy and Bill for dinner and a live performance of dancers and acrobats she had arranged for us. This was only marred by the cold—once again seated in our warmest clothes!!!

The following day she dropped us at the bus stop for the night bus to Haikou, the main city on Hianan Island. It is in the far south east of China and is known as China’s Hawaii—we were seeking warmth and although we were sad to say goodbye to them were not prepared to spend longer in the cold.

This bus trip was much longer than and nowhere near as fancy as the first one. A man nearby coughed constantly and our fears were later realized when we both got sick.

Once again no one spoke English and it was a little disconcerting when the bus stopped as we were never sure how long we would have. Finally at 6am we arrived at the ferry terminal where we were all shepherded of the bus into the waiting room where we sat for an hour. There were dozens of buses arriving and many people but fortunately our fellow bus companions were taking care of us and gesturing when we should follow.

Finally our bus was called and we all walked onto the ferry and made our way through the large buses and trucks parked in the lower level and walked up the stairs past the goats in a large truck to the seating area in the upper level.

The voyage took an hour and we got off and were led to an area where the bus would come to. It arrived and amid the confusion we realized that we needed to reclaim our bags and we actually were in Haikou.

Once again with our handy Chinese directions we were able to find a taxi and get to the hostel we had booked into.