While Guilin gets all the acclaim associated with the Guangxi province in China, Yangshuo is the underappreciated little brother to the south that actually houses the breathtaking mountains and lush rivers that dominate the region.
Still, I had a lot to learn in order to fully experience Yangshuo without feeling like I was getting ripped off at every opportunity. This is the nature of tourist spots around the world and particularly in China. I find it best to not get too disheartened by the multitude of scams but instead view it as a game. The more frugal and careful you are, the better a deal you’ll get in the end. In fact, I feel extremely present and alive when negotiating with hawkers or field-researching the best price. It wakes us up from the dream-like amble from sight A to sight B that tourists often engage in abroad, never interacting with their current environment. With that in mind, here are my Do’s and Do Not’s for traveling in and around Yangshuo.
DO go to the Moon Hill (月亮山) in Yangshuo’s countryside.
Moon Hill is a bonafide tourist hotspot, appearing in all the brochures in the area. The moment the hawkers spot you from above, they swoop down, peddling drinks and tour packages. How do I know it’s a tourist trap? You need to pay to park your bicycle in addition to buying an entrance ticket. It’s still worth it.
Millions of years of laser-light incisions into the limestone rock divinely carved this natural wonder; an artisanal craft by celestial hand. (My) pictures don’t really capture this marvel.
At the entrance of the trail leading up to this lunar mound, a sign proclaims this to be the “Nixon Trail”. The description is hilarious and has a real Chinese feel to it. While I’ve read that President Richard Nixon did in fact visit Moon Hill in his historic 1972 trip to China, I highly doubt he ran up the hill haphazardly, against the advice of his bodyguards, and shouted, “No one is comparable to the beauty of Guilin Yangshuo!”
There’s even a secret path to the very top of the hill, hidden from plain sight. A mysterious old lady waved me over to impart the wisdom of the secret path, after which telling me I’d better buy some things from her when I return.
DO NOT eat in the countryside!
A bird’s eye view of Yangshuo will show a five-block city center stuffed with little shops selling every kind of tourist crap imaginable, and one kind of noodle dish (more on this below). The epicenter of tourist consumption is West Street (西街); an orgiastic aneurysm of music, trinket and durian smell.
Away from downtown Yangshuo, dozens of small roads lead you into the countryside, where little villages start to pop up every few kilometers. I really thought restaurants out there would be much cheaper than in the city of Yangshuo, but the price was about three times the amount in the city (and the food left much to be desired). When you approach a neon-colored restaurant out in the country, the owner licks her lips with anticipation, pushing the menu in your face and staring at you with a malicious smile. She is a master at making you uncomfortable, and before you can calculate the price conversion of 80 yuan to USD in your head (about $12), the social awkwardness and constant barrage of questions on what you want to order overwhelm you into sitting down. Avoid them at all costs.
DO stay in the countryside.
While it’s possible to live in the city and travel to the villages each day, there’s nothing like waking up to a 360 view of the hills and rivers in Yangshuo. The Wada Hostel has a branch in a far-off village, only accessible by bike or scooter. When I went there in November, I was basically alone in the hostel. My neighbors were chickens and cows. The only other guests in this remotest of hideaways were, of course, two Germans. Germans inexplicably make it to every nook and cranny of the universe. When nuclear fallout destroys all known life on earth, the only things remaining will be some cockroaches fighting for scraps and two German hikers who happened to be in the area.
DO NOT cheap out on the meals every time.
The problem with playing the game of “Save the Most Money” while traveling is that it’s really hard to turn off this mindset. You become conditioned to always sniffing out the best deal, regardless of quality. This can also be jarring for those around you who haven’t been living off the land like you. Yangshuo is expensive in comparison with the rest of China. There’s no getting around that. Still, I stubbornly subsisted on the cheapest food possible: Guilin Rice Noodles (桂林米粉). On the first or second bowl, I still enjoyed the gelatinous cold noodles served with the standard assortment of pickled toppings. But unless you are willing to spend American prices on food, THIS IS BASICALLY ALL YOU WILL FIND IN YANGSHUO! I went near mad force-feeding myself the omnipresent steamed noodles. Variety is the spice of life…
There were several foods I wish I had tried if I weren’t so cheap. The popular “Beer-Simmered Fish” (啤酒鱼) comes to mind. Next time!
DO explore the other areas around Guilin Yangshuo.
Today, my number one motivation for returning to Yangshuo is to continue venturing out to new parts of the region. Last time, I was unable to visit the famous Longsheng rice terraces. The rice crop wasn’t in season in November, but I picture the layers upon layers of rice fields looking like a towering wedding cake. During my one week stay in Yangshuo, I did, however, complete a day trip with my new friend Simon (one of the other Germans in my hostel) to the neighboring village of Xingping (兴坪).
He and I became fast friends as he is a fellow solo traveler with fantastic stories to share. Before coming to China, he visited North Korea. His tour group was the same as the one that hosted Otto Warmbier that fateful trip. Simon brought back a North Korean newspaper as a souvenir, which was fascinating and hysterical to read in its revisionist propaganda glory.
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