On our first day in 阳朔 (yáng shuò), we went to see a very beautiful cave with all sorts of cool rock formations. The cave was well lit with hundreds of different colored neon lights. We were the only ones there due to the rain, so we got to have a private guide lead us around.

After the cave, we ate lunch at a restaurant by the river which specialized in 啤酒鱼 (pí jiǔ yú) (beer fish), a local delicacy. It was EXCELLENT! We all decided that before leaving, we wanted to come back and eat it again.

After lunch, we went to ride a bamboo boat down the river. It was very romantic and quite relaxing, except for the water falls that we periodically went over. The boats were made from 10 sticks of bamboo bound together, and accommodated 2 people plus the guide. We took 2 boats down the river for about an hour an a half. It ran 200 RMB ($25 US) out the door. I particularly liked the floating barges that sold drinks, snacks, and meat to the people floating down the river. They were quite amusing.

After the boat tour, we headed home. We had dinner at the same restaurant we ate at the first night, and then went to bed.

On our second day in 阳朔 (yáng shuò), we took it easy for the most part. We did some more shopping on west street, ate lunch at a new western restaurant, took pictures, and watched a movie before eating 啤酒鱼 (pí jiǔ yú) (beer fish) again.

After dinner, we went to see a show put on by the director 张艺谋 (zhāng yì móu) (Zhang Yimou) called the 桂林山水实景演出《印象刘三姐》 (guìlín shānshuǐ shí jǐng yǎnchū 《yìnxiàng liú sān jiě 》) (Impression: Liu San Jie). It was amazing. They used the mountains of 阳朔 (yáng shuò) and the river as their stage. The cast must have consisted of at least 300 performers, and quite a few animals. It was a great spectacle, that I would recommend to anyone visiting 阳朔 (yáng shuò).

The next day, we woke up late and headed back to 桂林 (guìlín) to spend the night as we had an early morning (8:00 AM) flight. We stayed at the Daewoo Sheraton hotel which I would also highly recommend. It is a 5 star hotel that cost us 500RMB a night ($62 US). It is in a good location, and the facilities are great. We strolled around 桂林 (guìlín) a bit, did some more shopping, ate a few meals, and called it an early night.

On our flight from 桂林 (guìlín) to 北京 (běijīng), 申琦 (shēn qí) spent most of the time sleeping, which was quite good as it was a bit turbulent. We accompanied my mom to her hotel, said our goodbyes, and then took a train back home to 石家庄 (shíjiāzhuāng).

Ahhh…..home sweet home