Yangshuo, China: Part 2

While Megan and Jamie returned to Shanghai to enjoy time with visiting relatives, our little family stuck around Yangshuo for a few more days. Bicycle rides through the picturesque farmland made up the majority of our final two days in this mountainous paradise. We had no agenda, and enjoyed leisurely exploring and taking photos. Day three began with a morning ride and we discovered this stunning scenery less than a minute from our guest house…

The sky was moody and everything was damp, but the mist added to the enchantment of our surroundings and the cooler air made for pleasant riding conditions.Taking Ronald’s advice, we crossed the Li River to find some quieter scenic trails.After lunch and nap time, we were all feeling refreshed. Daddy tried his hand at styling Isla’s hair for the first time. I would say his efforts were quite good, albeit a bit lopsided… we had a great laugh!Admiring his work!Isla discovered the joy of puddle splashing while in Yangshuo.Adventuring with these two is the best!!!

With so many incredible textured backdrops, I tried to convince Isla to take part in a little photo shoot. She sat still for about 8 seconds. Toddlers.She had far more important things to do…like dip twigs and branches into puddles…watch for chickens…jump over big cracks…explore crumbling stoops…and perfect her “elderly Chinese” walking posture.We decided to venture back to West Street for dinner and to look around the shops a bit more.There were numerous shops selling locally produced foods, and perhaps the most popular item was a chilli and garlic mixture. It smelled heavenly! Simple stands were set up outside the shops where the vendors chopped and bottled the garlic and chillies as pedestrians walked by. We did not end up purchasing any for ourselves, but enjoyed numerous platters of green beans enhanced with this flavorful mixture during our stay in Yangshuo. We sampled a piece of this sweet treat. We are still not totally sure what it is (need to do a little research!). It tasted very similar to rock candy, and given that a piece of beehive was displayed with the food, our best guess is that it is some sort of crystallized honey. We enjoyed many beautifully eclectic store fronts.We had dinner at a German restaurant so that we could enjoy their terrace view. Sadly, neither the meal nor beer were much to write home about, but the company was excellent!We were up bright and early our final full day in Yangshuo. Isla, a bike riding pro by now, settled into her little seat and was eager to get on the road. We headed back across the river to explore the waterside villages. A single narrow road connected the villages. Crumbling stone houses mingled with new architecture.The local people were all busy working, but eager to stop to say hello or smile.We headed back towards our guest house shortly before Isla’s nap time and stopped at the nearby Tea Cozy Boutique Hotel for lunch.There, Isla met, and instantly fell in love with, Mimi the cat. Mimi was lounging on one of the benches at our table, and did not seem the least bit bothered when Isla began to pet him. He patiently snoozed while she patted, poked and kissed him. She is still talking about him!When Isla was not loving on Mimi, she was playing in this decorative trough.Mimi liked the trough too.

While not beautiful nor scenic in the least, Isla’s nap time during our stay in Yangshuo became a fairly memorable (and humorous) experience for us. Isla is now in the habit of falling asleep on her own, in her own bed, in her own room. So, having us a few feet away as she was trying to fall asleep was disrupting her everyday norm. To help simulate our nap/bedtime routine at home, we put Isla in her bed and then went and sat in the bathroom- silently, with all the lights off- until Isla fell into a deep enough sleep that we could sneak back into the main part of the room. It was both genius and ridiculous. But it worked. And it made us giggle a lot. Parenthood is awesome!After Isla’s nap, Isaac and our camera spent a little time wandering the lush grounds of our guesthouse, The Outside Inn. After a little snack, we were back on our bikes and once again heading across the river to further explore the villages we had ridden through earlier that day. We ended up biking 12 km to the Dragon Bridge before turning back for the evening. Pedaling through the scenic farmland as the sun set was absolutely enchanting, and photographs sadly do not do this stunning landscape justice.A small portion of the ride was off-road, but Isla handled the bumpy tracks like a champ.We met Isla’s pigtail twin- what a cutie!By the time we reached the Dragon Bridge, most of the rafting trips were done for the day. The empty rafts lined the edges of the river, and the water was quiet. Perfection.The view from atop the Dragon Bridge.Could not resist getting a shot of those cute little buns! “Crack pants” are commonly worn by babies and toddlers all over China. Dragon Bridge

We arrived back at our guest house just as the sun was setting, tired from 40+ kilometers of biking, but enchanted by all of the beauty we had experienced during our time in wondrous Yangshuo.

You can read Part 1 of our Yangshuo adventure here

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