CHINA FOCUS TOUR 2010 - LI RIVER
The Li River between the Cities of Guilin and Yangshuo in Guangxi Province, China, is arguably one of the most beautiful and photogenic locations in the world. The river is bordered by gigantic limestone formations which reach to the sky in an assortment of myriad shapes from a lush green bottom land. The Li has apparently not been adversely impacted by rampant industrialization and resultant pollution as have many of the other Chinese rivers. Except for an occasional small pocket of habitation on the verdant banks, the river appeared undeveloped.
Tourism is a major factor on the Li with tourists opting to travel either big multi-deck tour boats, which are large enough to be called ships, or for a more leisurely cruise on bamboo rafts propelled by straight shaft outboard motors. China Focus booked our tour on the larger type vessel. Lunch was cooked on the fantail and served in the dining room.
The river was as beautiful as expected but we were dealt two conflicting blows by the weather.
There is a serious drought in the region where the headwaters of the Li originate, thus the river was too low to navigate the entire distance between Guilin and Yangshuo. The river was only navigable at the center of the stretch between the two cities. So we traveled by bus to the area where the cruise boots were moored, sailed part way down the river; then stopped for lunch and returned to the place where we had embarked. We continued our journey to Yangshuo by bus.
Although the river level had been lowered by drought at it's headwaters, the Guilin-Yangshuo area gets 95-inches of rain a year and the weather was true to form. We experienced light rain and heavy fog throughout the trip. This impacted photography in an adverse way. To give the viewer an idea of what the river might be like on a clear day, I have placed in this gallery an image of a Li River painting which was exhibited at the Guilin University Art Gallery. I have other examples of Guilin University paintings in my Guilin Gallery.
We ran a gauntlet of "Hello People" as we boarded the boat and then again as we walked from the boat back to the bus. We were not safe from the vendors even while we were in the middle of the river. The "Hello Guys" would pole bamboo rafts out to our boat in an attempt to sell us souvenirs.
Read MoreTourism is a major factor on the Li with tourists opting to travel either big multi-deck tour boats, which are large enough to be called ships, or for a more leisurely cruise on bamboo rafts propelled by straight shaft outboard motors. China Focus booked our tour on the larger type vessel. Lunch was cooked on the fantail and served in the dining room.
The river was as beautiful as expected but we were dealt two conflicting blows by the weather.
There is a serious drought in the region where the headwaters of the Li originate, thus the river was too low to navigate the entire distance between Guilin and Yangshuo. The river was only navigable at the center of the stretch between the two cities. So we traveled by bus to the area where the cruise boots were moored, sailed part way down the river; then stopped for lunch and returned to the place where we had embarked. We continued our journey to Yangshuo by bus.
Although the river level had been lowered by drought at it's headwaters, the Guilin-Yangshuo area gets 95-inches of rain a year and the weather was true to form. We experienced light rain and heavy fog throughout the trip. This impacted photography in an adverse way. To give the viewer an idea of what the river might be like on a clear day, I have placed in this gallery an image of a Li River painting which was exhibited at the Guilin University Art Gallery. I have other examples of Guilin University paintings in my Guilin Gallery.
We ran a gauntlet of "Hello People" as we boarded the boat and then again as we walked from the boat back to the bus. We were not safe from the vendors even while we were in the middle of the river. The "Hello Guys" would pole bamboo rafts out to our boat in an attempt to sell us souvenirs.
