Yangshou

I don’t think I would have gone out of my way to visit Yangshou by myself and of my own accord, not at my present ripe old age anyway. First, there are many more items on the bucket list that sound more exciting; and second and more relevantly, I am getting lazier the older I am to look for facts before visiting places. Let me quote from what I have got from Google, “Yangshuo is famous for its surreal landscape of dramatic limestone karst mountain peaks, meandering crystal-clear rivers, and lush rural rice paddies that look like a traditional Chinese watercolor painting. It is a top global destination for outdoor adventures, scenic river cruises, and vibrant local culture.”

The question therefore is whether one wants to be a real tourist for the sake of being one. If the answer is yes, then Yangshou is an ideal place to go and which is where Su and I have been for the past few days, five to be exact, spending good money and having a good time. Even before we were back, Su had posted blogs, with photos and words, on what we had been doing; and she was still doing it; so that I would try not to repeat what she had said. There were times during the past few days that Su found that I appeared to be somewhat nonplussed amid stunning (and surreal) landscape and unique scenes and sights. She had questioned whether I had enjoyed the experience at all.

Lest I might be misunderstood, by Su or others, let me state here categorically and for the record that I had thoroughly enjoyed the experience, but let me quickly add that no reactions of two individuals to the very same experiences could be alike or the same. It is natural therefore that Su could be overwhelmed by what she saw and had manifested herself externally as such through obvious mood changes, while the mortal next to her appeared to be calm as a monk and stiff as a rock. Maybe I was never good at showing my feelings and maybe I have become very good at keeping them deep-seated, or maybe I am a believer in not seeking or expressing cheap emotional thrills. On the other hand, I often feel happy, very happy, watching children laughing and playing and I enjoy being amongst happy people and seeing people happy. I must have gone off at a tangent. Let me quickly get back to Yangshou before I lose tracks.

There is no question that Yangshou should be on the bucket list of most people. It need not be too expensive and there are certainly choices. The landscape and sights are irreplicable and irreplaceable and the weather is kind, unlike Iceland. Su had told me before the trip that State laws won’t allow people over 70 to ride the bamboo rafts to tour the river, but we heard some conflicting views later. Never mind; we might do it sometime. Su had carefully organized the trip so that we had maximum comfort and relaxation in a posh hotel for two nights, with pampered services, but nowhere to go, followed by two nights in a hotel near Town Centre with great eateries and touristic sites. I believe we have had a full taste of Yangshou than most tourists. All in all, it is an utter complete tourist destination with a population of about 300,000 all actively involved in tourism. The corollary is that one must behave like a tourist while there. There are no official statistics of tourist population, but some sources put it at above 20 million each year, and I don’t know how much revenue would be derived annually.

Su had planned for the photo session carefully, having selected some suitable clothes beforehand and instructed me to do the same. I overpacked a bit, but that was okay. In the end, the scheduled 30-minute session finished at half the time; and it was rather pleasant and painless. The photos were fine too. Su was pleased with what she saw anyway. She said it was like having another mini-wedding photo session. We have also learned to stay in a humongous room without a landline-phone to the reception, while I have learned not to use the phone at all for external communications. Food was a delicacy and we enjoyed most of what we ordered. Service was good and the hotel staff were pleasant. I lost my sunglasses for about two hours. The girl at the reception went over backwards to track the videos with Su and confirmed that I had it when I checked in. To cut the long story short, I back tracked my trail to the waterfront and found it lying on the piece of rock where Su and I had taken pictures. Someone, probably another tourist, had found it and placed it in a prominent place for me to pick up.

Now, back to the ultimate question, “Would we go again? Would I go again?” The obvious answer will be, “It’s a question of priority.” Su had put in a lot of effort in the planning and execution, for which I am grateful. The train connections had been smooth and seamless. I have learned to use my wallet on the Mainland and things appeared okay.