"China has been such an amazing experience, I really wish I could stay here. Guilin has been my favorite so far though. Big giant green mountains and small backwards villages with the sweetest people I have ever met. I am practically famous here. Everywhere I go I get stared at and talked about and many men and women come up to me and say 'very beautiful.' And I get pictures taken with hundreds of people. The other night we went to a Chinese opera light show that I bought a dvd of because it was so amazing, but while we were waiting to go to the show Chinese people were just grabbing me very excited and having me take pictures with them and their families and their husbands; I honestly lost count of how many pictures I have been in. I told Papa that I really wanted to stay and live in Guilin and he said that was fine and I could make a living by just having my own booth where I charge 5 yuen a picture with me; I would make hundreds. But grandma had a heart attack with that conversation. I really do want to go back to Guilin though—it's beautiful."
~ Becca
Later that same day...
"Our stay at the Giggling Tree outside Guilin was really a lot of fun. We arrived after midnight on the first night, and it was so cold.... It was such a basic bare bones bed'n'breakfast after very luxurious hotel up to that point. Becky loved it (and wanted to stay), but the other three ladies were grumbling the next morning. A lovely breakfast and sunshine changed the grumbles pretty quickly. It was the first sun we had seen (lots of haze/smog) since we had left the USA. We had an hour ride to the point on the river where we got on two boats made out of large PVC pipe welded together with a wooden platform on top and a little motor that stuck out behind like a mix master.... Becky and Christine really got sunburned sitting up front on their boats.... The ride was smooth and spectacular. The water was emerald green, and we floated along this amazing mountain range dotted with small villages at the river bank. ...we went to a light show in Yang Shou. We were expecting strobe lights and fireworks; instead it was a beautiful story performed on a huge outdoor stage and in the river with the background of these amazing mountains. The boats and costumes had lights, and there was beautiful music and singing on and off the water. There were floating platforms and over 500 people performing at one time on some of the numbers. It was marvelous..."
~ Grandma Dianne
They are on to Beijing for the remainder of their trip, and the adventure continues.
The Momgoose
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