I am desperately in need of a cheap vacation and it occurred to me that a tcket to Hong Kong is cheap and China is cheap so why not fly to Hong Kong cheap and then bus or rail to somewhere cheap in China. Cheap is very important. I would like to go somewhere with a hippy type ambiance (and all that implies), plenty of mountains, rivers and seaside. I guess that means I need a place where the mountains meet the sea beside a river. Food is important to me so I hope I can go someplace where as a distinguished foriegner I will be treated to plenty of fancy meals at five star hotels. I hope that the people I meet will be either expert Mandarin instructors or English speaking poets and film makers. I think that about covers it. Thank you.
Ha ha. How about Yangshuo? No seaside, will lakeside do?
And foreigners are a dime a dozen there, I hear, so no “honoured guest” treatment for you. Don’t forget to buy a “mei you” tee shirt and get an extra one for me.
… and there’s a direct jetfoil service between HK and Wuzhou. From Wuzhou it’s 7 hrs to Yangshuo.
You can also take a bus to guangzhou and the overnight ferry from Guangzhou to Wuzhou.
Cool. That sounds within reach. So what can I expect there? Natural splendor, hippy ambiance and all that implies? Poets and film makers? I have accepted that I will need to compromise somewhat. For instance I think I might be able to live without the fancy diners at five star reataurants. Cheapness, natural splendor and the hippy ambiance are a definite must though. Thanks guys.
[quote=“bob”]Cool. That sounds within reach. So what can I expect there? Natural splendor, hippy ambiance and all that implies? Poets and film makers? I have accepted that I will need to compromise somewhat. For instance I think I might be able to live without the fancy diners at five star reataurants. Cheapness, natural splendor and the hippy ambiance are a definite must though. Thanks guys.[/quote] Yes, hippy ambiance there and it is very cheap. A lot of transients coming through town on their back packing tours, but I met some long timers when I was there three years ago. There are a lot of cafes, I even found one opened by a Taiwan person. They could tell from my Chinese accent from far across the restaurant that I was from Taiwan. I was kind of embarassed but pleased to meet someone else from Taiwan. Anyway, about transportation, I took the overnight train (sleeper car) from Guangzhou to Guilin, then a bus to Yangshuo. Quite nice, just my friend and I in the sleeper car. Quite a cool experience. The bus when you arrive in Guilin sucks though but well, then that is the PRC.
Another place to consider to Dali, even more hippy, but much further away. Not far from the mythical Shangri La.
I went there 9 years ago. Cheap and lots of foreigners. The Li river is good for river cruises, innertube cruises, and watching cormorant fishing. Rent a bike and go look at the karst formations. Moon hill is especialy impressive.
Don’t forget the two water caves - walking in those grottoes is an unforgettable experience, but don’t wear slippers (I did - a slippery experience), but wear sandals instead.
The hotel I stayed in has been converted to a 4 star resort, but beer alley should still be in place.
[quote=“Hobart”][quote=“bob”]Cool. That sounds within reach. So what can I expect there? Natural splendor, hippy ambiance and all that implies? Poets and film makers? I have accepted that I will need to compromise somewhat. For instance I think I might be able to live without the fancy diners at five star reataurants. Cheapness, natural splendor and the hippy ambiance are a definite must though. Thanks guys.[/quote] Yes, hippy ambiance there and it is very cheap. A lot of transients coming through town on their back packing tours, but I met some long timers when I was there three years ago. There are a lot of cafes, I even found one opened by a Taiwan person. They could tell from my Chinese accent from far across the restaurant that I was from Taiwan. I was kind of embarassed but pleased to meet someone else from Taiwan. Anyway, about transportation, I took the overnight train (sleeper car) from Guangzhou to Guilin, then a bus to Yangshuo. Quite nice, just my friend and I in the sleeper car. Quite a cool experience. The bus when you arrive in Guilin sucks though but well, then that is the PRC.
Another place to consider to Dali, even more hippy, but much further away. Not far from the mythical Shangri La.[/quote]
Agreed. If I were you I would fly to HK and fly to Kunming. Then take a bus for 1-2 hours to Dali and Lijaing. Lijiang is a UNESCO Heritage site and has a really cool ambiance. Tiger Leaping Gorge is close by and the weather is cool. I remember backpacking after Singapore and being so happy to wear a sweater during the evenings…Dali definitely has the “hippy” aura…not my cup of tea…too many suburban Americans re-inventing themselves.
Dali and Lijiang are great, and very cheap, but word of warning, do NOT go swimming in Erhai lake which Dali is alonside, it is full of the schisamatosis (sp) worm. Might also be worth going to Zhongdian, which is inhabited mainly by Tibetans, it is a wonderful place on the edge of the Tibetan plateau not all that far from the Indian border with the eastern reaches of the Himalayas in sight.
You can now fly to Dali i think, but the bus journey is a lot more than one or two hours, things move slowly in the PRC.
Dali is in the foothills of the Himilayas yeah? Will the flight from HK to Kunming cost me a fortune? I am out of fortunes. Thanks.
I just got back from doing the “two hour sit at caves and read the lonely planet without buying it” thing. Here is what lonely planet says. There is a flight from Kunming to Xiaguan (right beside dali) and it costs 340yuan. The bus from Kunming to Dali is about eight hours. Dunno how much it costs. I am wondeing if the ride from Kunmimg to Dali provides much of interest to look at. I will be travelling with my wife and she is kinda the “whine if it ain’t perfect on vacation type.” I am more the splendor and hippy ambiance type. I also very much enjoy a chance to spend time with people who lived their lives away from cities and without television. You may be able to appreciate how our vactions together can sometimes become something of an ordeal. She hates the places I love. To her vacations are about relaxing not having adventures. So, to all of you who have been there (dali/lijiang) am I out of mind thinking about taking my wife there? Thanks.
cheap=5star hotels.What are you talking about.I dont know any cheap 5 star hotels.Am I going crazy,hahaha
Yes you are going crazy la, la la la la.
[quote=“bob”]I just got back from doing the “two hour sit at caves and read the lonely planet without buying it” thing. Here is what lonely planet says. There is a flight from Kunming to Xiaguan (right beside dali) and it costs 340yuan. The bus from Kunming to Dali is about eight hours. Dunno how much it costs. I am wondeing if the ride from Kunmimg to Dali provides much of interest to look at. I will be travelling with my wife and she is kinda the “whine if it ain’t perfect on vacation type.” I am more the splendor and hippy ambiance type. I also very much enjoy a chance to spend time with people who lived their lives away from cities and without television. You may be able to appreciate how our vactions together can sometimes become something of an ordeal. She hates the places I love. To her vacations are about relaxing not having adventures. So, to all of you who have been there (dali/lijiang) am I out of mind thinking about taking my wife there? Thanks.[/quote] Don’t go to Dali. The bus ride sucks. The place is more for back packing hippy types. I think Yangshuo is an excellent place for you two. But then again, maybe Yangshuo isn’t perfect either. Go back another two hours to Caves, or get cheap package deal to Bali and skip China.
But Hobart I am a hippy type too. It is just my wife who is not into third world vacations. Anyway i guess you are probably right. For the money Bali is the best deal around especially if you like nice hotel rooms. (My wife LOVES nice hotel rooms). The daily massage and all sounds great to me too…I’ll save the China deal for a solo adventure. Thanks.