I always thought our first cruise would be booked through Lynn

After a long discussion with the ``Emperor Chamberlain`` (for some reason that was the name given to the concierge at our hotel) we had booked a Li River cruise. This was something that we had recommended to us by everyone who had been to the area. Also, we felt we couldn`t travel in China without participating in at least one guided tour. I mean, what could be a more Chinese experience

We set out bright and early, and had to listen to `Trudy` (our English speaking guide) tell us about Guilin and the tour we would be taking. For the half an hour it took to get from the hotel to the wharf, she regaled us with circular stories, jokes that no one laughed at (and I mean NO one) and asked rhetorical question after rhetorical question. Sigh. Kristen is an avid observer of Chinese tour groups at home, and has always wondered (sometimes aloud) what the tour guide could possibly be talking about the whole time. Now we know that it is as likely to be a sales pitch as information about the sights.

We made it to the wharf, and followed Trudy to the boat. To distinguish us from other groups, Trudy gave us all stickers, and to guide us to where we were going, she told us to look for the stuffed animal at the end of a telescoping pole that she would be carrying. Not joking.

The boat held 120 people and was full, but had enough space that once we got underway, we could all spread out. Throughout the day we saw maybe 150-200 other boats the same size on the river, and hundreds more bamboo rafts that ply the river with two to six passengers. I say bamboo but they are all made of pvc pipe now, some of which has been cleverly disguised as bamboo through the addition of a sign that says BAMBOO RAFT to the top of the vessel.

 We cruised for four hours down the river through some of the most gorgeous (or if you believe the tourist brochures- grotesque) scenery imaginable. However, the scenery was somewhat moderated by the touts on board talking at us for hours, trying to get us to pay them to take pictures of us using their fancy high powered cameras. Also the dirty water. Also the guides trying to get us to book more tours with them.

Li river scenery.

"Cruiseship" just like the one we were on.

Herd of water buffalo (from far away so click on the picture if you want to see them)

We are in the spot that they have painted on the back of the twenty yuan video. Had to do it.

All in all, it was a very cool trip, and worth doing for both the scenery and the chance to observe the Chinese tourism experience firsthand.

When we arrived in Yangshuo,  both Kristen and Paul somehow missed the boat turning around and were extremely disoriented when they stepped off the boat (somehow the water had just changed direction- or the boat turned around without us noticing. One of the two). In any case it took a while to figure things out...

Video explanation.

They didn’t have our room ready for quite a while, so we ended up getting comped some free drinks and sitting in the hotel lobby. Eventually we made it up to our room, cleaned ourselves up and went out.