Our Yangshuo Family

The Chinese have big happy families and this is just a part of our big happy Chinese family taking us on a cycling tour of the picturesque ancient villages along the banks of the Yulong River in Guangxi Province in southern China.

This is us with Diana, Christine, Anna, Annie, Lulu, Chris and Curry.

As we ride alongside the rivers and streams, and weave in and out of the rice paddies and vegetable fields, we talk of hopes and dreams; of lovers and leavers; of parents and children. They may be young enough to be our grandchildren, but these enthusiastic young people embrace us with the exuberance of siblings. They laugh and giggle like children as we jockey for position along the little used country roads and they delight in pointing out picture perfect scenes like this couple being ferried across the river on a bamboo raft...

Bamboo rafts have been the common means of transport here for centuries and fishing was traditionally carried out using tethered cormorants launched from them. The nearby town of Yangshuo is a tourist hotspot today, and sailing down the Yulong on a bamboo raft is a major attraction, so the fishermen have long given up their cormorants and only fish for tourists today. The slowly meandering Yulong is a one way street for rafts and at the end of their journey they are manhandled onto trucks to be taken back upstream ready for their next run...

Every bend in the river brings us a new view of the mountains and we stop time and again as the morning mist gradually clears to reveal photogenic scenes....

After riding for a an hour or so we reach the ancient village of Jiuxian,where some of the 400 year old houses have been renovated and incorporated into a boutique hotel and restaurant, and we stop for coffee at The Secret Garden, (although some of the 'kids' prefer milkshakes)...

Now as we ride back to our 'home from home' we pass many ancient farm buildings that we hope will one day be restored...

And we watch farmers bringing in fresh vegetables for our dinner...

Now it's time for lunch. And just like any other 'family' on a special occasion we sit down to an amazing feast at Curry's brand new resort hotel just downriver...

Tomorrow we will begin another 'family day' in this tranquil haven midst the karst mountains of Guangxi,