Day 56 of 111. Guilin, China

We boarded an early flight in Xi’an and flew to Guilin in the southern portion of China. As soon as we left the terminal we could feel the warmer, more humid air. It was a nice change. Guilin is known for its natural beauty. The area is surrounded by limestone hills and mountains since this area used to be under the sea. Guilin is known for its small flowers that bloom in October. They are pretty, but also used for wine and tea. This area is good for growing rice and two of its local specialties are it rice noodles (with hot chilis) and the rice liquor. Some of the liquor is infused with snake (see the photo above) and has health benefits (no personal experience here). There are also varieties using spiders and scorpions. Yikes.

Ron posed on a bamboo raft with two cormorant birds that were used for fishing by the local population. In the background is Elephant Trunk Rock. Most of the mountains have caves that are used as cellars by the city.

On the way to lunch, we saw two beautiful pagodas in the lake. One is the sun pagoda and the other is the moon pagoda and are lit up at night. Next to the lunch restaurant was an artist’s studio with some stunning watercolors. Later we visited another park with Camel Rock. President Clinton made a speech in front of Camel Rock on his visit to China.

From our room window, we could see a beautiful sunset over the limestone hills.