My last 2 days in Yangshuo/Guilin were wet. It rained all day. The first day I just kept looking for someplace dry and warm were I could sit. I* had a long breakfast, found an internet cafe, uploaded photos, and then had a long lunch.
In the evening, it had stopped raining, and I went to a show created by the guy who did the olympics opening stadium. The setting was amazing. The stage was water, surrounded by karst hills. The show was beautifully done. Most of the performners were on boats that you coulkd not see, sliding gracefully over the water, or at times were perfectly still. It was an ode to the river, and the life on the river over the centuries. It perhaps too much over romantized primitive life on the river, but it really was fun to watch.
The following day I caught the bus to Guilin ($2, 1 hour and 45 minutes). The ride was smooth, and the the area was built up all the way between the two cities (ok, maybe yangshuo is not quite a city). But again, it was raining. When I arrived in Guilin it was pouring. Rather then catching a cab directly to the airport (or waiting in the rain foir the airport bus and saving money), I walked 2 blocks in the rain and had lunch. I order a fish. Later someone else order a fish. The fish were kept in small tubs on the ground with two tubes coming out. One with water going in, and one with water going out. When the other peson order fish, the guyt reached into the tub, pulled out a fish, through it hard against the (dirty) ground. And then took it away to be cooked (and I hope cleaned!!).
The cab ride to the airport was interesting. The cabby tried to extracft 100 RMB ($15) from me for the ride. I said put it on the meter (my guide book said the ride should be 75). She kept yelling something in chinese at me. I shrugged. Eventually she put the meter on. Over the ride she kept turning back to me (or looking at me with her mirror) and yelling something at me. Eventually we got to a toll. She wanted additional money to pay the toll. We stopped. I gave her 10 RMB ($1.50). She wanted more. I gave her 20. She wanted more. Eventually she took 25. The toll, of course, turned out to be only 10. Anyway, the meter ran to 66. So 66+ the 10 I should have paid was really close to what my guidebook said. I like guidebooks. :)
