Southern China - Balloons, Pandas and Spice

Our next leg took us whirlwind across southern China from Shenzen to Guilin/Yangshou and on to Chengdu. Shenzen is a frantic shopping and industrial area just across the border from Hong Kong (yes there is still a border as HK is a "special administrative region") where Hong Kongites go for fake hand bags, manicures and dentistry.

We took a sleeper train overnight (ok except for ubiquitous cigarette smoke) to Guilin, the area famed for the rugged limestone hills and green environment. We walked around Guilin's cliffside temples for a day and headed to the tourist mecca of Yangshou.

Yangshou is an old Chinese village that has grown from rustic backpacker hang-out to full fledged tourist town for both Chinese and foreigners. The main strip is full of music pumping bars, cafes, restaurants, and trinket shops. The experience was intensified as it was China's biggest tourist week: National Day. Despite the crowds, we stayed here five days and loved every minute. We took a river cruise, hiked, biked and took a sunrise balloon ride over the limestone cliffs. Truly beautiful place.

Out next stop was Chengdu where we visited a Panda sanctuary (more like a zoo) and saw six month old Panda cubs and their mothers amongst the 30 odd Pandas at the site. Chengdu is also in Sichuan where we feasted on famed spicy Sichuan dishes from restaurants and street markets.