Yin and Yang on the Yangtze, Part Two
Guilin : Cruising the Li River, Kids, a Cave, and a foot massage
Monday, October 8 was the day of our Li River cruise. This was another event on my China must see list. I had read about it often and seen pictures of some of the beautiful scenery along the river. We traveled to Zhujiang wharf, 28 kilometers from downtown Guilin. This wharf caters to foreign tourists and there are dozens of tour boats, each about the size of a medium sized tug boat. They head down the river from Guilin to Yangshou city in a conga line, one closely following the other.
Tauck rented a private boat for our group, so we had plenty of room to spread out. The tour boats have open decks for observing the scenery and indoor tables for sitting and eating lunch prepared on the small outdoor kitchens stretched across their sterns. The Sheraton had provided us with wonderful gourmet box lunches and plenty of beverages. We were especially appreciative of the box lunches when we saw the kitchen staff of other tour boats washing their dishes and pans in the river from the back of the boat! The boat had a Western toilet which was a godsend since the cruise was four hours long.
Again, good weather was with us with clear, blue skies but accompanied by heat. The spectacular karst scenery with limestone peaks and pinnacles was more beautiful and interesting than I had imagined. Water buffalo, Chinese peasants and many types of watercraft were also on view.
This leisurely cruise, with good food, lovely river views and no crowds was one of the highlights of the tour for me. When we disembarked in Yangshuo, there were many steps to reach the upper market place where we had a little time to browse and to enjoy a cocktail in an air conditioned lounge. Upon returning to Guilin, we were free for the rest of the day to do what we wanted and later eat at one of the hotel’s dining rooms.
Since we weren’t checking out of the hotel until 1:15 PM, I slept in the next morning, and then completed our packing for an 11:45 AM collection from the room. Don went for a city tour that included a stop at a kindergarten where he watched the children exercise and then draw pictures. The second stop was a visit to the Tunnel Hill Cave. Because of the many steep steps in and out of the cave, several people did not take this tour. Following lunch at the hotel we paid an interesting visit to the local TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Hospital.
After a lecture on Chinese medicine, and a demonstration of "cupping” on one of our group, we were treated to a one hour reflexology foot massage by the hospital’s trainees. Since I have had four foot operations, I didn’t think my tender feet could handle this sometimes intense therapy. I was offered a seated half-body massage, where my young lady pummeled and massaged me from my “gluteus maximus” to the top of my head. Although sometimes a little painful, it was generally very relaxing.
Before we left the hospital, a doctor tried to sell us some Chinese medicine. He had an herbal remedy for just about anything that afflicted our group. Earlier in the trip I had actually purchased an herbal medicine recommended by our guide called Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa for a cough and cold that seemed to affect all of our group at some point in the tour. This syrup was quite tasty and did help me to sleep better, although it contained no narcotics. (After I returned home, I purchased another two bottles over the Internet for my family’s coughs). The doctor said he even had a remedy for losing weight. Of course many of us were interested in this and asked him what it was. He said “use only one chopstick”.
