Hey Hey and a Big G'Day to you

I'm now in Guilin which used to be the capital of Guangxi years ago but now it's Nanning.

We found our Palace of fluffy pillows and TV switches right near the train station. Good position to be in..NOT! But I'm not complaining I could be at home in Australia digging holes for the government! I love Guilin and the Guilin area, it was my favourite area last time and it's just gets more beautiful! Hell of a lot more people here now though.

Seems the Chinese also love the area.

OK, what have we been up to?

On Sunday: went to Reed Flute Cave or Ludi Yan. Entry fee is a bit high, around 65 Yuan, but hey, I'm not digging holes, so why not spend some time underground! It was just stunning even with some of the tacky coloured lighting. Sooooo BIG. They reckon a part of it called 'the Crystal Palace of the Dragon King' can hold upto 1000 people. Yep, I reckon it could too! The stalactites and stalagmites were awesome, but my favourite cave is still in Loyer.

This is bigger, grander but if I was to be trapped in a cave, I'd like my last breaths to be in the cave in Loyer. Like all caves in China, it was also used as an air raid shelter during war time.

Betchya they fit more than 1000 people in the Crystal Palace then!

After the cave we went for a walk up the mountain. Stunning views as promised of the area around us. Argh, to be a lucky boy! The Lotus Pond was so almost too inviting...hot, water, swim! But I thought against it, never know what's in there. Why is everything Lotus this and Dragon that in China?

One day I'll find someone who can give me a good answer.

Found a bookshop with some English books, but they were all Penguin Classics I had already read. Tried out the Forest of Flowers restaurant. MMMmmm mmmMMM! A tasty dish served was there by girls dressed in army type uniforms.

Didn't quite understand the connection between the army and flowers though, but the girls were pretty.

Kitty and I spent the evening strolling through the market place that seemed to stretch forever along the roadside. The river side walk was just beautiful. There was a music fountain but when compared to the one in Pingguo this was just an embryo. We sat for hours talking and watching people strolling by on the beautiful marble bridge. I wish we in Australia would have more respect for our cities and make beautiful things like that.

Instead we put up some silly looking thing that looks like it took 2 days to create and 5 minutes to build (I'm talking about the Yarra river walking bridge at South Gate).

We found the Old Gate and a comfortable place to play cards and drink many beers whilst a storm angrily threw as much our way as it could. We survived and continued the walk around the lake after the storm got bored and went to another city to bother other tourists. But like many places in China, you can't actually walk all the way around the lake as a hotel has blocked off one end. Yeah, nice work. HELLO, who wasn't thinking when the town planner approved this one! So you have to go around the imposing hotel to continue the beautiful walk.

By then your thoughts have changed to looking for more beer.

On Monday: we headed to the Seven Star Park or Qixing Gongyuan. Just beautiful. It seems Guilin is bringing out the tourist in me. It does seem some of the more popular places are worth a visit. This park was just beautiful. Zoo was both horrible and not so bad at the same time. Tiny cages, cement floors for some, but others like me, had fluffy pillow type accommodation.

Maybe they know somebody too.

I loved walking along the hill trails and visiting the tombs. Such beautiful views of Guilin and the limestone Karst peaks. Heaps of grass and shade too which was welcomed by the three of us. Ponds here and there with ducks and other watery things. Monkeys roaming around (without chains!). Another cave with not so many tacky lights but worth a look. A beautiful temple that I'm assured is hundreds of years old (like the old city in Leijing?). Is it a new old Temple or an old new Temple? HHHhhhmmm, one has to wonder.

There were shiny golden statues with prayer cushions before them, incense burning everywhere, but strangely I didn't get asked for money like everywhere else that has shiny golden statues and places to rest your knees. Like last time I was here, I'm sure I'll get to the point that as soon as I smell incense I'll be running the other way.

Afterwards we headed to the place Kitty and I had played cards and hid ourselves away from the storm last night.

Kylie had been wanting Pizza and Pizza was assured on the window. A big picture and the word PIZZA welcomed our hungry bellies. Haven't had cheese for quite some time, am lactose intolerant but this is pizza and I couldn't wait until we reached Yangshuo.....you go to China to eat Pizza I hear some of you say. Hey, I've been living on dog, cat, rice noodles, vegies and rice for the main meals and for snax I've been eating chicken's feet, pig's eyes, ducks tongue and throat and other assorted goodies from inside strange animals.

Somewhere I'll get to telling you about eating pigs eyes and ducks tongue...

I always wonder if I taste as good to the duck as it does to me. OK, back to the pizza...yes, pizza, even the picture on the window was worth eating.

We sat, we glanced at the menu, took another longer look at the menu, looked at each other and actually ran our fingers through the menu. No Pizza! No Pizza! WHAT, NO PIZZA! Excuse me, where is the pizza. Soddy Mishta, no pizza. Why do you have the picture on the window? Soddy Mishta, no pizza. They've never ever had pizza there. Like already explained in another dates entry. They are just getting in now, doing their best to westernise at a much too fast rate before they actually get the pizza there to serve.

Hey, get the customers there first is what I say!

At least they had good cheap Chinese beer and a table to play cards on!

Beers N Noodles Toya...shane