Traveling in China - Day 8 - Longzhou (龙州)

Riding a bus through the countryside 

In the morning we woke up then went to the bus station so we could wait in line to get our bus tickets. After waiting about 20 minutes, the lady at the counter told us to follow a young man, he led us to a section of the bus station where we could wait for the bus. He explained that they did not sell tickets where we were going but that we would just have to wait. Our things were still back at the hotel, so we went and got them just so we could return and wait for a bus.

Traveling in China - Day 7 - Detian Waterfall (德天瀑布 [Détiān Pùbù])

Detian falls. Our destination.

Today was a waterfall day, so I woke up super excited! It took us a lot less time to pack up and leave the apartment than I anticipated. Guess it is nice to be able to fit everything in a couple of backpacks. We all shed a tear as we left our apartment for the final time (one giant collective tear; not three separate ones).

Traveling in China - Day 2 - Going to Chongzuo (崇左)

26 hours spent in any space can be tedious. Especially if you only have 3 feet above and to the side of you to move around. In the morning I pretended to sleep for as long as I could. The guy snoring I think did a better job at pretending. Rock solid performance.

Eventually I conceded defeat and decided to turn on some tunes and look out the window. I must admit, after seeing the dismal, flat and cold grey setting of Zhengzhou, I was a bit relieved when I looked out the window and saw some green and some mountains! By time we "woke up" we were just about in Guangxi province. At about 9:00 we passed the city of Guilin. This is considered by much of China to be the most beautiful place in the country. I have heard a few times that it is also considered one of the most beautiful places in the world. It is a tourist city and as such, the train station actually looked clean. How nice.

The reason Guilin is famous is because of the mountains. You know how when you think of Chinese mountains, you think of these steep pointy mountains that you would see in Kung Fun Panda or a Chinese watercolor painting? These are the mountains from Guilin. These type of mountains are called karst. If you have seen all the Star Wars movies, then you have seen images from Guilin. The mountains were used as background images for the Wookie planet Kashyyyk. (See these images)

This is a picture I snapped out of the train window as we were passing Guilin. Not much, but you can see some of the mountains in the background. 

The Joys of Traveling in China

I am in China! I made it! Lifelong goal checked off. In the first few days here, I have experienced nearly every method of travel possible. One thing is for certain. Traveling in China is different than in America. VERY different.

(Warning; this is a LONG post. I suggest only reading it while eating ice cream)