Yangshuo

Our first real stop back on the mainland was Yangshuo, a little town plunked in the middle of incredible limestone karst formations.

Rice paddies and limestone peaks.

We rode bicycles among the rice paddies, hiked in the hills, and cruised down the river. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

It might be hard to tell from this picture, but this is the exact spot featured on the back of the 20 yuan bill.

Moon hill.



First, we hiked up to this spot on Moon Hill.

Then we hiked to the top of the moon.

Our guidebook described Yangshuo as a "sleepy but hip village." However, I think it's safe to say sleepy is no longer accurate! Domestic tourism is booming, and the town and even the rice paddies were overrun by tourists and their gigantic tour buses. We had a nice time, but lots more places to go and things to see, so after a couple of days we had no qualms about leaving Yangshuo to the tourist hordes.