21 March 2009 – Even with multiple interruptions, we managed to get a little sleep. At 6am we had a 2 1/2 hour stop at Nanning, China. We were escorted into a locked waiting room, at 7am we were told we could leave the room but must be back by 8am. Jerry, Steve and I went out looking for a place to change money into Chinese Yuan and for some coffee, finding neither, we asked several vendors for tea, still no luck. We wondered where “all the tea in China” was kept. Pointing to some pastries behind a counter, I offered a $5 US bill. It was reluctantly accepted. We got the pastries and a fist full of Chinese money. On the way back we found Betty and Charlotte trying their luck at a small kiosk. Then Fran arrived, saying that she had found an ATM to get Chinese Yuan. She led Jerry, Steve and I across an open mall and a parking lot to three ATM machines. The other guys got some Yuan, but I did not have our ATM card and I never use our credit card at ATM machines so I did not know the PIN number. Oh well, Steve, Jerry and Fran can buy the beer until I change money.
Back on the train, we watched the Chinese landscape unfold. Karst hills jutted up everywhere, much like Ha Long Bay without the water. Workers tended rice paddies, some with water buffalo but mostly with hand tools. The soil seemed red and dry and the people appeared to be quite poor. Mid-afternoon, we arrived in Guilin, a city of 650,000. Our guide, Vivian, welcomed us with a warm smile. At Hotel Bravo, our home for the next 4 days, we checked in and changed money. We had to change US dollars because they would not accept our Vietnamese money. Our group went to their rooms, unpacked and filtered down to the hotel bar; this is getting to be a routine. Also routine, is our group “toast” which started in Saigon. We count in the local language 1-2-3 then the local salute as we raise our glasses. In Vietnam it was “mo, hai, ba – YO”, in China it is “yi, er, san – GanBai”. Soon we were ready for dinner. Our guide had recommended a nearby Chinese restaurant, McFond. After a bit of searching, we enjoyed a great dinner.
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Boarded the train in Hanoi at 6(ish) and headed to the border at Da Dong. Our berth was not especially comfortable or clean, but we made do and got a couple of hours of shut eye before we had to change trains at Da Dong – which we did around midnight. Back on the train that will take us across the border and on to Guilin. Took a couple of hours to take care of all that what with passports, customs, moving baggage, etc. Settled in agin for more sleep. Up at 7:00 for all to debark for about an hour at Nanning. We got some RMB, bought some snacks, and jumped back on for the last leg. Another nap, then to the dining car. Going to have to practice up on my Chinese!
Landscape: Karst. Little fields surrounded with stone fences, tilled with hand held plows behind a water buffalo. Seems quite primitive in the country side. Vegetable gardens and rice paddies.
Fran
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22 March: Breakfast at the hotel, meet guide and bus at 9am and we are off to tour the city of Guilin. Parks, hilltop climbs, a cave and we are ready for lunch at a wonderful little Chinese restaurant. In the afternoon, we visited a large display of South China Sea Pearls, we were told how the pearls were made and how their quality is graded. One of Fran’s objectives on this trip was to buy some nice pearls. Today is her day!! She got matching earrings, pendant and ring. All very beautiful. Later, the women visited a silk factory while the guys found a beer across the street.
In the evening, Steve and Jennifer and Jerry and Linda walked a few blocks to see the “night market”. Betty got on a computer at the hotel’s business center. She posted all the previous journal entries. As she finished, Fran arrived, so we all had a drink before retiring.
Later we learned that the “Brothers Johnson” crew (which also includes Linda and Jennifer) had dined “American”. They ate at one of the two McDonalds’ in Guilin. I’m sure Linda appreciated it. She doesn’t care much for foreign food and even though she never complains, two weeks is a long time to go without “comfort food”.
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Guilin – City of forests – Sweet olive tree blossom. This city is famous for its scenery, and I can see why. Of course the karst is what it’s all about, the caves, the jutting cliffs, the interesting rock formations; but it has also devoted much public land to parks which are beautiful. Today we visited three of those parks. The first was Fubo Park with its climb to an overview of the city. The second was devoted to vistas of the Li River and Elephant Hill formation. Jennifer tried to buy us all some luck by purchasing a turtle to release in the Li River. I hope it works. We have a great lunch which our guide Vivian helped us order. The big hits were the sizzling beef, green beans, and sweet and sour pork. In the PM we went to a cave – WOW! And then to a pearl outlet. I did a little damage there!
Fran