The farm we visited was run by two elderly brothers who opened their home and offered shots of what

But for a glimpse of China s natural beauty, take the trip south to the city of Guilin, and board a boat for a four-hour cruise park plaza hotel winter park florida down the Li River to the picturesque city of Yangshuo, nestled amid the limestone karst hills known as the gumdrop mountains.
One of the city s best attractions is Elephant Trunk Park on the west bank of the Li, named for its rock formation park plaza hotel winter park florida that with some imagination resembles an elephant drinking from the river. park plaza hotel winter park florida On the top of the hill is a pagoda that dates back to the Ming dynasty.
The park is a popular spot for young couples who stroll along the river and add their padlocks or wish ribbons, signifying lasting love, to an ornamented tree. Vendors set up along the riverside sell some interesting food, including fried bugs on a stick.
The government is building a canal that will allow tourists park plaza hotel winter park florida to take a boat and avoid what is a bumpy bus ride to another popular spot, Reed Flute Cave, one of several limestone caves in the region. This one features colorful, if somewhat garish, park plaza hotel winter park florida light displays on the stalactite and stalagmite formations, as well as lasers that make designs on the cave s ceiling and a bubble machine.
The casual cruise includes photo-worthy scenery around virtually every bend as the boat passes landmarks park plaza hotel winter park florida such as Nine Horse Hill, where those with a good eye can find nine horses in the rock formations. (We were told former President park plaza hotel winter park florida Bill Clinton could only spot three of them.) I found six.
The guide will have passengers park plaza hotel winter park florida take out a 20 yuan note when they approach the view of Apple Hill, and compare the scenery to the depiction on the back of the bill. It s one of the most painted scenes in Chinese art.
The boat passes by a scenic fishing village, waterfalls, caves, groves of bamboo, and terraced farms. Water buffalo can be seen on the riverbanks, and the tour boats share the river with traditional bamboo rafts (though some are now made from PVC piping).
Lunch is nothing to write home about, though some of the boats buy catches from the fishermen who pull up to them on the river. Ours offered the usual noodle and dumpling dishes (though you could spend a little extra and try the turtle).
Passengers disembark park plaza hotel winter park florida on Market Street in Yangshuo, where the fishermen will try to get you to pay to pose with their cormorants. The street is lined with vendors selling everything from real fake Rolex watches, to T-shirts, silk scarves and jade. Every price is negotiable, and bartering becomes a sport.
The farm we visited was run by two elderly brothers who opened their home and offered shots of what they called medicine wine. It was basically moonshine fermented in a jar filled with snakes, scorpions and other creepy crawlers. Tasty.
There is no boat back to Guilin, which is about an hour away by bus. But for those who choose to stay in Yangshuo for the evening, there is the opportunity to take in a spectacular opera-style light and music show put on by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou, the man responsible for the opening ceremony in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The 90-minute show, Impressions Liu Sanjie, is based on a famous movie about a local singer. It includes more than 600 performers and incorporates stories park plaza hotel winter park florida and music from four minority ethnic groups in the region. It takes place outdoors on a lake in a 3,000-seat amphitheater surrounded by the hills, which become the backdrop for the performance.
LI RIVER CRUISE : Tickets for the four-hour one-way cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo are sold at a terminal in Guilin and cost around $32 or 200 yuan. Guilin, a well-known tourist destination located in Guangxi province and renowned for its scenery, is easily reachable by air from Beijing , Xian, Shanghai, Hong Kong and other points.
It s a little embarrassing, but after two-plus years there are still quite a few touristy things around Seoul and Korea I ve yet to see. For some there s a plausible reason (no plans on the seeing the DMZ the way tensions park plaza hotel winter park florida are right now) while I just hadn t gotten around to others. That had been my
WITH the Huang Pu River Cruise, I was able to explore the many beauties of this city, in just one boat ride. Shanghai has always been a unique city of past and present, park plaza hotel winter park florida a city as historic as it is modern. It's impressive how residents are able to embrace an urban growth, while still valuing their
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