Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya,

VISA’s mate!
Sometimes they are so hard to come by!

If you are from one of the lucky countries at times they are granted upon entry, other times they may take a day or two but here in Guangxi they take more than a month to be processed. So after an entire month I finally got news that my passport should arrive anytime soon with my new Residency Visa but on the bad side, I will soon have to pay for my room but hey;

A month’s free accommodation is more than plenty to ask for here in Yangshuo.

The ride to Ancient Xingping Town

In the past I’ve ridden to XingPing several times but this time I decided to take the main road as appose to the Li River ride as it gave me the opportunity to take in some of the small villages along the way. Though the main road is extremely dusty and dangerous due to a billion tourist buses every minute trying to collect me by the way side and drag me to their destination by the axel, I got to spend time off road in villages where the teenagers for some reason like to play basket ball with corn cobs rather than actual basket balls, but it has been a wonderful adventure.

I've got one more long ride I want to do here and hopefully it will happen prior to the return of my passport as I’ve never ridden this ride before.

Now For A Bit On Ancient Xingping Town.

Found around twenty five kilometers upstream from Yangshuo, surrounded by a jungle of karst pinnacles, the charming and as yet unspoiled village of Xingping is being touted by some as the next Yangshuo which means it will be the next backpackers' haven as this particular stretch of river between found Yangdi Village and Xingping Town is known as the Golden Waterway that includes the most famous peak in the area, the Nine Horse Mountain which is the picture found on the Chinese Twenty Yuan note..

Xingping is an ancient town with a history of more than one thousand three hundred years and now only a few cafes and backpackers' hostels have sprung up and accommodation and dining are still fairly basic but it is more than well worth the stay.

An interesting side trip from Xingping is to Yucun (literally "Fishing Village"), a tiny, picturesque Ming dynasty village (1506-21) found twenty minutes downstream along the Li River, whose more famous visitors have included Sun Yat-Sen in 1921 and Bill Clinton in 1998. The village is full of traditional Ming and Qing dynasty houses with white walls and gray tiled roofs with upturned eaves, as well as ancestral halls. The beautiful boat ride between Xingping and Yucun, is however more than worth the hassle of getting there.

In ancient times, Xingping Village was the largest town along the Li River (sixty three kilometers from Guilin and twenty five kilometers from Yangshuo), on the east bank of the river. The town is surrounded by enthralling scenery and the charm of the town is more than enhanced by the surrounding hills and is infused with typical Lingnan or southeastern Chinese provincial culture.

There are forty eight traditional residences that have been preserved throughout the years and their special features include blue brickwork, black tiles, sloping roofs, horse head walls, cornices and carved windows. The houses are classic examples of Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynastic architecture. The town is located at the foot of Wuzhi Hill and the locals like to think that the it resembles a monk and a nun bickering, along with Chaoban Hill looking like a tablet held by officials in court in ancient times.

Arhat Hill is also said to look like a smiling Arhat monk exposing his breast to the sun.
Well, they are mountains and they…look like…mountains!

Just like Yangshuo, travelling the in the Xingping area you can experience the life of local fishermen. Their fishing techniques are unlike anything most people will have seen as they use a bamboo rafts instead of a wooden boat along with using cormorants to catch the fish. They do this by tying a noose around a bird's long neck to prevent it from swallowing its catch.

Beers N Noodles toya…..shane
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The soundtrack to this entry was by Beastie Boys
The album was 'Pauls Boutique’
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