Yangshuo's Birdman

Another 30 days is almost up, which means it’s time to pay a visit to the local Public Security Bureau, which means a wander through back streets and alleys in search of a nondescript building. Yangshuo’s PSB had a big sign in English, but “go to Guilin” is all they would say.

So I hopped on a bus for the hour trip back to Guilin and wandered the city’s deepest, darkest alleys for an hour to find an apartment building with the five gold stars of the People’s Republic of China above the door. After a careful comparison of the Chinese characters above the door with those in my guidebook, I decided they were similar enough that this was probably the right place, so I waited for the staff to return from their three hour lunch break.

Crowded

It was the right place, and I’ll get to pick up my passport in seven days. I was considering spending a week in lovely Yangshuo, and that settles it. It’s the perfect place to relax and forget about the rigors of travel. The karst peaks around town are amazing, the food is good, the beer flows at night, and traditional Chinese massages are available. I’ll have to try not to spend all my money.

Like Lijiang and Dali, Yangshuo is a victim of its own success. The number of Chinese tourists has exploded, and it’s difficult to walk down West Street at night. Strangely, Yangshuo has two faces. During the day, the cafes are full of banana pancake eating foreign backpackers, and hardly any Chinese are around. At night there’s not a foreigner to be seen, and the cafes are packed with Chinese tourists. What’s the best way for a bar to draw Chinese tourists? Provide good live music, which most places don’t do, or provide dice, which most do. The Chinese must be the worlds most avid gamers.