License to idyll

I’ve spent several days riding a sturdy mountain bike through the idyllic countryside, where peasants work their tiny plots of land along the Lijiang River among the karst peaks.

The beautiful experience was hard work, as the concrete road changed to gravel, then dirt, then a bumpy stone path through a village, and finally to a dike between the paddies. The peasants knew where I was going, and pointed me out of their fields.

Most people I passed along the river shouted “hello bamboo” at me. The locals think that all visitors’ greatest desire is to ride on a bamboo raft. Not for an exorbitant 150 RMB ($20)! At least Chinese tourists pay the same price. One of the best things about China is the absence of dual pricing. Both foreigners and Chinese tourists are rich in the eyes of the impoverished locals, and are equally ripped off.

Cool karsts

The villages I rode through, while not destitute, were poor. A lot of money is going into Yangshuo and the surrounding tourist sites. That money isn’t doing much, if any, good for the people in the countryside.

As nice as Yangshuo is, my nine day PSB enforced holiday has been too long, and I am ready to move on.