Sunday, October 5: I’m supposed to meet Vivian at the hotel at 10:30 this morning to go on a private motorbike tour of the countryside north of Yangshuo. Before our meeting, I walk into town to find some breakfast. I’m pleasantly surprised to find the town is just waking up and the streets are practically deserted.
on Xianqian Jie: The Yangshuo Climbing Festival
Deserted Xianqian Jie
the cute little coffee shop with a gecko server
Even Xi Jie, better known as West Street, normally packed with people, has just been washed down and is practically empty, except for a few early birds like me.
Xi Jie, or West Street.
I decide to indulge in the breakfast buffet at Rosewood Cafe.
Rosewood Cafe
Breakfast buffet at Rosewood Cafe
Still life over the buffet
little pond in the center of town
pretty little bridge
I continue to stroll through the town, enjoying the peace and quiet. I even find some people walking around in their pajamas.
Click on any of the photos below to see a full-sized slide show.
Heading back toward the hotel, I pause along the Li River’s edge to see what’s happening.
waterfall
the bamboo boat man
The Li River on a Sunday morning
over the moon
Li River
stepping stones
Li River & karst landscape
I’m excited about my motorbike tour. When I get back to the hotel, I gather up my camera and my bag, and meet Vivian for a full-day of exploring.
china diaries 
How lovely to see the street so empty. I think my favourite town photo today is the colourful bicycles and the photos of the landscape and river are stunning as always.
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Elaine, it was really nice to see the streets so deserted, for once! I’m glad you like my bicycle picture; I loved the colors. And that little pond was quite pretty. 🙂
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Such beautiful early morning shots, Cathy. The pond and the bridge pics are gorgeous. 🙂
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Thanks Sylvia. It was pretty that morning with the light and the deserted streets. Glad you liked my little bridge photos. 🙂
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Funny to see it so peaceful. So I wonder where you will be going next. I would love to visit Tian Chi not too far from Urumqi but that area has unrest these days.
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Yes, I was surprised to find the streets so deserted. It wasn’t even that early, maybe 8:30 or so. I don’t know anything about Tian Chi; I’m going to have to look it up. Is it supposed to be nice?
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I love mountains and lakes, Kat. Tian Chi means ‘heavenly lake/pool’ and many years ago I read a book called ‘From Heaven Lake’ It was written by an Indian called Vikram Seth and he had travelled to Tian Chi, Since reading that book I have wanted to go there. Maybe I am writing it the wrong way because when I asked about the place in China, I think they said it more like ‘Tian Churrrrrrrrrrrrrrr’ It would be a very big journey because Urumqi is in the far west (Xinjiang) and Tian Chi is a couple of hours by bus from there.
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I’m a mountain and lake person too, Dai. I much prefer mountains these days to the ocean, although when I was younger I preferred the ocean. Any place that means heavenly lake/pool must be, shall we say, “heavenly!” Was Vikram Seth’s book good? Maybe I should read it too. Oh, I just looked up Urumqi and Tian Chi, way up in Xinjiang Province on the border of Mongolia and Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. I doubt I will get that far north while I’m here in China, Dai. I wish I could but sadly there’s only so much time and money. It sounds wonderful though. 🙂
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Well Kat, I loved the book at that time. But sometimes when we read books again years later, we wonder what we saw in the books before. We didn’t have that many travelogues in those days so every one was good for me.
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I like a good travelogue, Dai, and I’ve added it to my Goodreads list. I did try to read Vikram Seth’s behemoth A Suitable Boy, but I only got about halfway through before I had to give up. I hope I’ll enjoy his travelogue more than that book. 🙂
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Woa!
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I want to live opposite that bridge by the pond, Cathy, and walk across those stepping stones! 🙂
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It would be lovely to live in Yangshuo, Jo. It really is a charming little town. 🙂
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