Finally, I’m getting some blog posts up in my Asia section! How exciting!
I’d got to Hong Kong, I’d met the rest of my ‘team’ and we’d made our way to our first stop in China on The Dragon Trip – Yangshou. As I look back, I think this was one of my favourite stops on the tour. Beautiful Karst scenery, amazing lantern-lit night markets and some crazy nights with the infamous Monkey Jane (check her out, seeing is believing!) To break it down, here’s what we managed to fit in during our time there:
Bamboo Rafting down the Li River
This was listed as one of the ‘free un-missable attractions’ on our tour and it didn’t disappoint. The scenery was incredible, gigantic karst peaks rising out of the calm waters which twisted and turned through the epic scenery – straight off a postcard. The serenity was broken by water gun fights where we all got soaked, and we shrieked as we were hurtled down ‘rapids’, before getting our tummies tickled by weeds while we swam. It was super fun - thrilling and peaceful in equal amounts!
I’d got to Hong Kong, I’d met the rest of my ‘team’ and we’d made our way to our first stop in China on The Dragon Trip – Yangshou. As I look back, I think this was one of my favourite stops on the tour. Beautiful Karst scenery, amazing lantern-lit night markets and some crazy nights with the infamous Monkey Jane (check her out, seeing is believing!) To break it down, here’s what we managed to fit in during our time there:
Bamboo Rafting down the Li River
This was listed as one of the ‘free un-missable attractions’ on our tour and it didn’t disappoint. The scenery was incredible, gigantic karst peaks rising out of the calm waters which twisted and turned through the epic scenery – straight off a postcard. The serenity was broken by water gun fights where we all got soaked, and we shrieked as we were hurtled down ‘rapids’, before getting our tummies tickled by weeds while we swam. It was super fun - thrilling and peaceful in equal amounts!
Cormorant Fishing
An ancient fishing method dating back to 960AD, Cormorant Fishing is where fishermen tie a removable rubber band around the cormorant birds neck in order to use it to catch fish. Suprisingly the birds don’t swim away. The bands prevent the bird from swallowing its catches and it spits them out to the fisherman. At the end of their fishing adventure they are fed the smaller catches, leaving the bigger fish ready for market. I’d seen it on an old HSBC advert demonstrating different cultures and was eager to see it in real life!
The whole thing happens at night and is a wonderfully exciting experience. Under the cover of darkness, you make your way down to the river and follow alongside a fisherman in a motorized boat. Following the light from his lamp you watch the birds jump and dive out of the water and then have a chance to see them up close on the shore later on. I think because you do this at night, and everything’s quiet around you, you feel transported back in time. Seeing something so simple and effective is humbling, and the birds are cool!
An ancient fishing method dating back to 960AD, Cormorant Fishing is where fishermen tie a removable rubber band around the cormorant birds neck in order to use it to catch fish. Suprisingly the birds don’t swim away. The bands prevent the bird from swallowing its catches and it spits them out to the fisherman. At the end of their fishing adventure they are fed the smaller catches, leaving the bigger fish ready for market. I’d seen it on an old HSBC advert demonstrating different cultures and was eager to see it in real life!
The whole thing happens at night and is a wonderfully exciting experience. Under the cover of darkness, you make your way down to the river and follow alongside a fisherman in a motorized boat. Following the light from his lamp you watch the birds jump and dive out of the water and then have a chance to see them up close on the shore later on. I think because you do this at night, and everything’s quiet around you, you feel transported back in time. Seeing something so simple and effective is humbling, and the birds are cool!
Cooking Class
The rest of the group took off and went rock climbing (which was far too active for me) and I went to do a bit of Chinese cooking. My Dad’s the only one in our house who can whip up a good Chinese, so I wanted to be able to give him a run for his money. The fact that at home, I don’t have someone shouting out what to do every 2 minutes is beside the point, I am now a Chinese cookery master. End of.
We made a Kung Pao Chicken and a beef dish that I don’t remember the name of (everything contained pretty much the same blend of soy, hoisin and salt in differing quantaties) and my favourite; home-made dumplings! I’m not kidding, everything tasted a-mazing, I couldn’t believe I’d made it, and I got to wear a Chef’s hat and use a massive meat cleaver! Nobody would ever trust me with one of them at home!
The rest of the group took off and went rock climbing (which was far too active for me) and I went to do a bit of Chinese cooking. My Dad’s the only one in our house who can whip up a good Chinese, so I wanted to be able to give him a run for his money. The fact that at home, I don’t have someone shouting out what to do every 2 minutes is beside the point, I am now a Chinese cookery master. End of.
We made a Kung Pao Chicken and a beef dish that I don’t remember the name of (everything contained pretty much the same blend of soy, hoisin and salt in differing quantaties) and my favourite; home-made dumplings! I’m not kidding, everything tasted a-mazing, I couldn’t believe I’d made it, and I got to wear a Chef’s hat and use a massive meat cleaver! Nobody would ever trust me with one of them at home!
The morning trip to the market in prep for the class freaked a few people out, in particular a middle-aged American couple who stared wide eyed exclaiming, "It all comes wrapped in plastic where we're from". Luckily dog with noodles wasn't on the menu.
Moped-ing round the Mountains
After having a bash at tandem bicycles and realizing that a group of midly retarded 20-something year olds weren’t going to manage, we got scooters and headed up into the mountains. I say ‘we’, I didn’t get a scooter. I tried, they wouldn’t let me, with good reason. After a little break I had another go and slowly fell to the ground after moving maybe an inch. I think I just stopped holding on and plopped to the side – damn my centre of gravity! The views were insane, and we saw the image that is on the 20 Yen note. There’s something about riding around an unknown place on a bike, the wind hurtling at your face. You just feel so free.
After having a bash at tandem bicycles and realizing that a group of midly retarded 20-something year olds weren’t going to manage, we got scooters and headed up into the mountains. I say ‘we’, I didn’t get a scooter. I tried, they wouldn’t let me, with good reason. After a little break I had another go and slowly fell to the ground after moving maybe an inch. I think I just stopped holding on and plopped to the side – damn my centre of gravity! The views were insane, and we saw the image that is on the 20 Yen note. There’s something about riding around an unknown place on a bike, the wind hurtling at your face. You just feel so free.
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