Welcome to Travel Dreams Saturday, this time coming to you from southern China.
China in the depths of winter with rice fields flooded or muddy stubble. A China that sometimes seems like one vast construction site with people laboring to create buildings and roads everywhere. A China where you can still see older people in padded cotton coats and caps with ear-flaps But the young people are dressed just like you or I and play incessantly with their smart phones. Given that the majority of our clothes are made here it is hardly surprising.
Boat ride on the Li River
We left the overwhelming rush of Guangzhou with its modern Metro system and neon-draped skyscrapers to travel on the overnight train to Guilin. We came here to see a legendary landscape of mist-shrouded Karst mountains. Floating down the Li River is almost too beautiful for words. Being here in January means we have the place nearly to ourselves.
View from the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat
Travelling on crowded local buses (with ducks and chickens as fellow passengers) through towns and villages is fascinating but I feel fortunate to have found a gorgeous hideaway at the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat. Here on the banks of the Yulong River we can enjoy the stunning scenery uninterrupted by people or traffic.
Happy world travel dreams!
Natasha
Natasha von Geldern is a travel writer, editor, and blogger who is passionate about making the pages of the atlas real by traveling the world. She is a contributor to Travel Wire Asia, Wild Junket Magazine, Yahoo! Total Travel and Travelbite. You can find her on her travel website and blog, WorldWanderingKiwi.
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