Back to shore - arrived in Yangshuo

so, after a very marginal lunch (wasn't bad, just not too exciting!) we returned to shore. Before we left we were looking at the engine room and realized that they either steamed the rice over the engine or just kept it warm there. When we arrived at shore there was a man with two of the cormorant birds on stick and for 5 yuan you could take a picture with him which of course Herb had to have (!). the streets you see here are of Yangshuo - which is a very sweet town. What I can tell you it was very, very hot walking these streets. The streets are filled with vendors selling clothes, purses, jewelry, hair pins, food, fans, and everything else you could imagine. Everything is total bargaining which we have become very good at. If they tell you the price is 100 yuan (about $15) you must bargain them down to about $25 - $30 -- no more or you are totally ripped off - and it worked! And, I am sure they still made money!!

We were met in the streets by these little electric cars that we piled into and they took us to a hotel in Yangshou. Louie, being the prince he is - after the fiasco we had at the 4 star hotel in Guilin and being changed over to the Sheraton, a 5 star, actually had changed our reservations in Yangshou from the original hotel, which was a 4 star to another 5 star - he was concerned that with the problems in Guilin with the heat/mold, he didn't want take the chance and upgraded us all again. We were supposed to stay at the New Western Street Hotel, but instead, another one which I don't have the name of because it is not on our itinerary since we were upgraded. It was a very traditional (as in non-western) beautiful Chinese hotel - however, it did have western toilets, showers, a/c - very decorated - the only complaint from the group was the breakfast was very limited to Chinese soups, dumplings, etc and little western food - we didn't care and Louie had warned us of this - frankly we didn't need much in the morning - but before I talk about the morning, let me finish telling about the rest of the day in Yangshuo. next post...