Ni Hao! Egads, there's just a wee bit of a language barrier here...but we've got the skills to fill our bellies at least! We've developed a fondness for clay pots stuffed with rice that you pick all the stir fry toppings for. They give you a little plate and a spread of ingredients before you...then they add enough of what they see on your little plate to make it a BIG meal! $1.50 Canadian ..... oooh, gotta like cheap eats. Beer is 30 cents a can off the shelf ..... perfect.
We've navigated our way by bus (3 1/2 hrs) through border crossings to Guangzhou city then train (13 hrs) plus bus (2 hrs) to Yangshuo. We had the top bunks on the train and it was pretty comfortable, so we booked the train for Kunming leaving Wednesday at 4pm. That one is 18hrs so we booked lower bunks for easier access down the corridors. It's looking cold in Kunming so we'll be assessing the "northern" stretch to Lijiang and Zhongdian, as cold is not a word we wish to be uttering this holiday... : ) : )
All is well though, we're happily riding bicycles through the countryside and cruising the river through surreal landscapes.
