After completing my voyage down the Yangtze River to see the World’s largest hydroelectric dam – The Three Gorges Dam - I bused down to Wuhan which also lies on the Yangtze. There isn’t a lot to see in Wuhan, despite it being a mega city; it’s more of a transport hub for trains etc that would eventually take me south to a couple of China’s biggest attractions of Guilin and Yangshuo.
Again the train across country was comfortable and modern and in this part of the world we passed through the endless farmland and brick factories. China at times feels literally like one big market garden, manually farmed by some 600million Chinese. It takes between 9 and 10 hours to cover the 850km between Wuhan and Guilin so it’s best to book a train for early in the day so you get to experience the sights of the countryside during the day.
Guilin is located in the northern part of Guangxi province and near some of the best known tourist destinations in China. Destinations such as the terraced hillside rice fields of Longsheng, the Krast peaks that surround the meandering Li River (which features on the ¥20 bank note) and an hour by train to the south the small tourist mecca of Yangshuo.
Yangshuo is renowned for its Krast peaks which tower over the town and the surrounding rice fields on the river flats. A popular town for travellers, and local tourist, not only because of its scenery but also its rivers, caves, temples and laid back cafes and bars.
A major reason that intrepid travellers venture to Yangshuo is hire bikes and explore the countryside themselves; get lost along the local lanes while taking in the spectacular scenery of rice fields bounded by the limestone peaks.
After my time in Guilin and Yangshuo, I had a few days to kill before needing to be in Nanning for my train to Hanoi so I ventured to southwest China to a place known as Dali. I would need to cross the great garden to get there.
