I was woken up again in the night by thunderstorms and it was still going strong when my alarm went off at 8am. I got showered and ready and went to meet the guide I had arranged for the day, hoping that it would stop raining by the time we got to our destination. It took 45 minutes to get to the Guilin Botanical gardens and the whole way there the guide was telling me all about the countryside. I had hired this man (I don’t even know his name, if this was England alarm bells would be ringing!) for £20 for the day to drive me to the botanical gardens, wait for me then drive me to Yao mountain and wait for me again and then to drive me back to Guilin.
We got to the botanical gardens and it was still raining, although not as heavily as before and the driver gave me a raincoat that he had in the boot of his car, you know those thin plastic poncho things they have at theme parks for the water rides? It was a pink one of those. So I set off round the botanical gardens looking like a giant candyfloss, in the rain and I’m starting to think that this was not one of my better ideas. Even though it was in the rain, the gardens were still lovely and peaceful. I didn’t see a single person (probably because everyone else has sense and stays indoors when it’s raining) but the gardens were like a big park with lots of ponds and bridges and stepping stones over them. I quickly realised that the stepping stones were to be avoided after nearly falling in one particular pond as the path and stones were very wet and slippy. In fact I nearly slipped over a few times. I walked round the park in about an hour and headed back to the car where the driver was waiting for me, he began telling me all about all of the rare and endangered plants in the gardens and did I see them all? I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I couldn’t give two hoots about the plants, I just liked the water features and scenery, but went along with it instead. Apparently there is a rare plant in the gardens that is only found in one other place in China he tells me proudly. Err great, I’m silently hoping that he talks about something else soon because it’s a long way to Yao mountain and I’m sick of this plant talk already. Luckily I find inspiration in one of the deserted villages and ask him about it, I have seen a lot of really old villages in ruin here in Guilin and Yangshuo and I am actually interested as to why they are left to crumble. I am told that there are still old people living in these buildings (I can’t see how as many have half a wall or no roof, but we pass one where I can clearly see inside and he’s right, there’s an old woman sitting in there with a load of vegetables and a pot) he say’s that the young people all move to the city leaving many buildings empty and then they just collapse as they are not looked after.
As we are driving through the countryside the scenery is just beautiful, even though it has started pouring with rain again. There are swirls of mist around the mountains that really does make it look like a mysterious place. We turn a corner and then I can see the whole mountainside is covered in tombs on either side of the road with colourful flowers on each one. My guide tells me that in the city when someone dies they are burnt and their ashes scattered over water, parks or gardens, but here in the countryside they are buried in a tomb which is taking up so much of the land. He is worried about what will happen in the future as there will not be enough land for burials. I asked why it was only on this area that the tombs were and apparently it’s because the area has good fengshuai.
We arrive at Yao Mountain just as the rain gets even heavier and as it is supposed to be a cable car up to the top and then toboggan back down I am told that it is closed because of the rain. I think that this is the first time I have seen anything in China closed for safety reasons, bravo! I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed, even though common sense is telling me that being at the top of a mountain in a cable car is probably not the best place to be during a thunderstorm. My guide is very apologetic and offers to take me somewhere else instead, but it is pouring with rain and according to my guide, everything worth seeing is inside. We drive back to Guilin with my guide giving me bits of information such as passing a field I am told that when it is warmer the people will plough the field by hand. He has lived in Guilin for many years and it is nice to hear it from someone who knows so much about Guilin and his English is very good and he is so friendly, I think this may be one of my favourite tours of Guilin as he is happy to answer any of my questions and offers up any information he think I may be interested in. This has made me want to come back to Guilin and Yangshuo in June when it is warmer and sunnier and I can do all of the sightseeing that I came here to do.
My guide drops me at my hostel door and I go off to find the market that he has told me about which is apparently underneath the main square. I found it easily and had a look round before stopping for a late lunch at a small cafe. After lunch I returned to the hostel as it was still raining and hoped that it would clear up for later this afternoon.
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