Back in Business

 Hello all!  Since we couldn't give you a lot of info about our China segment (other than the Great Wall and Hong Kong pics), here's what we've been up to since the last post.  In Hong Kong, we took the Peak Tram to the highest point in the city....a hill used as a vantage point during WWII....also ingeniously named "The Peak."  It was foggy, but the view was pretty incredible and really shows the size of this massive city!  From there, we took a train to Guangzhou and decided to stay for 2 days before heading to Guilin.  We were amazed to find out it's almost as large as Beijing..20 million people live here!  We found ourselves at the top of the Four Season Hotel (located at the top of the second tallest building in the city) on the 70th floor and had another amazing view.  Unfortunately, we managed to forget all of our 4 picture taking devices! We stayed in a hostel located in a family home and were invited to eat dinner with them.  Rice, thin potatoes, stewed duck (spicy!) and cabbage was on the menu and it was wonderful.  Ashley also got her first haircut on the trip!  Only $5 and it came with a lovely scalp/shoulder massage!  Next came the overnight train to Guilin (another first for Ash) and that was an experience.  Apparently it is socially "OK" to smoke and spit (not just on the train-everywhere).  We arrived in Guilin and first impressions were not so great.  But, after walking around and finding the scenic area, the town started to grow on us.  We rented an apartment- ignore the mess in the pictures, we were packing to leave!  It was a small studio with a lofted bed and once we figured out how the heat, hot water, washing machine and hot plate worked, it grew on us too!  Most exciting was the hot water...which worked through a battery powered gas heater. Yeah, weird.  You turned the gas tank on, then turned on the water faucet.  I guess the water flow ignites the flame in the water heater and it goes BOOM!  Seriously, a small explosion occurred every time we needed hot water.  One time it even rattled a window upstairs off of its hinges!  The city of Guilin is in a beautiful part of the country, but we suggest not going in winter.  The fog and rain made it difficult to see the gorgeous mountains and rivers that you see on the post cards.  Nevertheless, we saw Elephant Trunk Hill, the Prince's Palace, and Solitary Beauty Peak which were great!  There was also a fabulous food street/alley where we found a great Indian Restaurant! On Tuesday we took a 6 hour train to Nanning to catch the 10 hr train to Hanoi, Vietnam.  We sprang for the soft sleeper this time!  Our sleep was a little interrupted because of customs/border checks at midnight and 1am, but we made it to Hanoi at 4:30am!  We checked into our hotel and explored the city, but those adventures will come later!  Enjoy the pictures from our China Adventure!


Who would've guessed this was at the top of The Peak in Hong Kong?!

                                                                                                                      Pagodas in Guilin

                                                                Elephant Trunk Hill

                                                   Trained birds- really only there for pictures

                                                                   Old city wall

                                                         Pagoda on top of Elephant Trunk Hill

                                           Landscape from Elephant Trunk Hill

                                                     Kind of looks like an Elephant, right?

                                                        Crystal Glass Bridge, Guilin

                                               One of the many waterways in Guilin- Beautiful

                                                    We had tea on and island in the river! 

                                                       View from Solitary Beauty Peak

                                                                  Prince's Palace

                                              So happy the clouds cleared this day!

 Deep fried mashed potatoes, hot thousand island dressing, corn, cucumbers and bacon. Weird, but good.

                                                           Candy coated fruit kebabs

                                            Bubble tea.....they are all about strange food textures!

                                                             Delicious cream puffs!

                                       China was surprisingly good at desert pastries and doughnuts!!

                                                                     Food street

                               One the many "What in the world is that?" provoking foods....

                                           Soooooo spicy....burns your eyes if you get too close!

                                             Yes, we enjoyed lots of sweets while in Guilin

                                                       The Lost in Translation section!!!

                                                                         What?

                                   Where we had our strange potato......but no cheese to be found.

                               Third line from the bottom- "Don't force foreigner to take a picture"

                                           On the steep stairs: Caution, Danger.  Wait a minute.....

                                                             Apartment- Ash cooking dinner