Guilin, China: White on Rice (Terraces)

Our train ride to Guilin is much less eventful than its predecessor despite early indications of it being way more bonkers. Since our tickets are standing room only, our plan upon boarding is to make a direct line for the cafe car. Much to our horror we discover the passage to the dining car locked with no feasible means of entry. Dejected, we proceed back to our car for an anticipated 6 hours of standing. A female train crew official spots us and hastily directs us to the end of the car where she makes a Chinese man stand and relocate across the aisle. We are then afforded the two seats vacated by his departure. 

Apparently it is not allowable etiquette for foreigners to stand on a six hour train in China. We apologize sheepishly to those around us and say nothing more. A young man, maybe in his early 20's, sits across from us and begins immediately devouring his instant noodles into which he adds sausage, seaweed, and a host of very hot looking spices. To be honest, this man looks terrible. As if he just came off a redeye from 4 day bender in Vegas. Comparatively we're feeling great. For the next six hours we watch him sweat and try to sleep it off.

We arrive in Guilin at dusk and I'm already stricken by how much prettier it is than the other two cities we visited. In the distance you can see the outlines of countless undulating hills slowly disappearing into the dusk-light.

Along the river we can make out the Gold and Silver Pagodas, aptly lit in the rapidly approaching darkness. There is some sort of festival and crowds are beginning to gather in the main square. But before we join them we have business to take care of. 

In Nanning, the one truly productive thing we did accomplish was the creation of a new game for the show. Another one of my brilliant brain children that I almost immediately with I had aborted, the game is called the McDonald's Double Cheeseburger Double-Up Challenge (MDDCDUC) and it is played as follows: before arriving in each city in China Jon and I would make a bet (alternating who gets to bet first) about the number of McDonald's we believe we will encounter in that city. Whoever is the closest to the actual number we spot wins the bet. The loser has to eat an increasingly doubling double cheeseburger.

The game started in Nanning. Jon lost the first round and so in Guilin he was obligated to eat a double cheeseburger. On the train we lay our bets for Guilin. The loser of this round will be required to eat a quad-burger (four patties, four slices of cheese, and all the condiments on one bun). The next round would be six, then eight, and finally ten. In the event of a tie (meaning we were equidistant from the actual number of McDonald's we spotted), we would be required to split the burger. As a show of good faith (and since I changed my bet after answering initially) I eat one with Jon and we walk back to the main square.

After watching a number of traditional dance routines we repair to the hostel where we book a tour to see the rice terraces at Da Zhai. We are told there are two others interested in the tour and that we should meet at 8:30am. We agree and soldier off to bed. The next morning we take the few hour bus ride to the village of Da Zhai, peacefully nestled on all sides by terraced hills. 

The four of us, Jon, myself, and new friends Monika and Julia from Poland, decide to hike to the top rather than take the chair lift. It's quite the endeavor but provides us with some spectacular views of the terraces. 

At this time of year the fields are being tended for planting. The rains will be coming in a month or so and by mid-July each of these terraces will create a series of near-perfect mirrors, reflecting the light off the surface of the water save for the tiny flecks of rice poking up. We look down and see workers beginning the planting process.

As expected, the higher we climb the more spectacular the views get.

Some of the patterns along the hills seem almost impossible to make and maintain.

We eventually reach the top and are able to see past the chair lift and all the way into the valley of Da Zhai itself.

We trek down tediously but not without some near misshaps. 

In Da Zhai itself you see the product of the field terracing reaching its conclusion as the water runoff from the innumerable fields above finally makes its way into the town to irrigate the crops in close proximity. It is of course also the main water source for the village itself.

We pass the remaining hour or so until our driver picks us up with a round of beers and rice at a local watering hole, our Chinese waitress flabbergasted that we would order only beer, water and rice. We try to convey that we are lean mean souls but it doesn't seem to come across. Back on the bus it's a long winding road back to the hostel along which Jon convinces our two companions to accompany us to a round of karaoke that evening.

They agree but prior to embarking on our karaoke venture, Yang from the hostel teaches us all how to play mahjong. Jon and I are naturals. The four of us taxi over to the karaoke place and after some brief price haggling are posted up in a room. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from the karaoke outing but suffice it to say it goes as bonkers as you would anticipate. Yang eventually shows up with the hostel crew and a few more hostel-mates and it isn't long before mayhem has taken over and Yang is blasting an air guitar to 80's rock music. Good times. 

The other notable thing to occur this evening is that I officially lose the second round of the MDDCDUC, which means I'm obligated to eat a quad-burger as soon as feasibly possible. Awesome. We eventually all make it back to the hostel and crash after a long, weary, boozy, fun day in Guilin.

The next morning we piddle around the hostel recovering from last night and waiting for the girls' taxi to arrive. We take a brief walk in the drizzle outside but it's a pointless endeavor. The girls are eventually shuttled away to catch their train and Jon and I make our way up the main drag in the rain, challenging the elements. I invoke them to make me feel more dread than I already do about facing the quad-burger. He dares them to make him feel worse about the departure of his new lady-friend. Eventually we arrive at McDonald's and it's time to put up or... put up. So I get to work.

I feel groggy... and full... yet not... damn these chemicals! My kidneys are already in shut down mode and considering the weather we decide to seek out an indoor activity. We elect to watch Ironman 3. Normally I'm not a big fan of seeing movies abroad unless it's crazy cheap and it's crazy hot outside (looking at you Malaysia), but this was a good call. Additionally, we got to see a special scene shot solely for Chinese audiences featuring China's ultra-mega-uber-star Fan Bing Bing (who was the centerpiece of a film we saw back in Thailand - Lost in Bangkok). The layers of coincidence just keep piling.

The next day we've got another activity planned. Jon is ready and raring to go. Today: another thing I've wanted to do for a long long time... a cruise up the Li River. Our bus stops and gives us 15 minutes or so for refreshments and pictures before we board our "bamboo" boats for our Li River cruise. The contemporary vessels are the fiberglass renditions of the formerly authentic bamboo boats.

While we're standing around taking pictures we apparently miss the migration down the docks to the boats. By the time we realize we've been left behind, we're required to make a mad sprint down to "our" boats. First of all, why the hell would they drop us off in an area of the docks not near our boats? Secondly, why isn't there someone to make it very clear that the group was migrating? We hear no warning, no direction, nothing. F these guys. Anyway, we make it, we're strapped up with orange and we're on our way.

The rest of the boat trip is actually awesome. We're out on the river for an hour to an hour and a half. We start out dead last in the flotilla. How are we so far behind? Gun it my good man! Even the two Chinese girls sharing our boat are flabbergasted with our current lack of pace.

But in all seriousness (yes we were losing but that's not the important thing), the view up the Li River was absolutely spectacular. There's simply no other way to describe it.

But... then again, guess what biddies?! Suddenly we're nearly running this show! "Faster! FASTER! PUT IT TO THE FLOOR!" we yell at our captain, who can't be older than 16. Suddenly it HAS become a competition. I... sometimes... I just can't help myself. Now what sucka? We be in first place!

And at the turn, we have such a lead we have time to swap in and out of boats about three times before having to shag ass back downriver. From this point we can see both up and down the Li.

"We get off our boat, get on a new boat, drink 20 beers, get off that boat, fall in the water, build a hot-air balloon, take off, drink 20 more beers, hate it, blow it up, fall 200 feet into the river, break all of our bones, get back on the second boat, dry off, drink another 20 beers, re-amalgamate our bones with tribal healing, drink a final 20 beers, and are eventually requisitioned back to the first boat. And we are still ahead of everyone else. That's called being the biggest bosses these bamboo-riding-clowns have seen thus far. Seriously." These are the words of Flange, not your humble author.

Thanks for that input Flange! Uh... moving on. After placating Flange with a few cool-down-beers we head back down river and find some awesome shots of the mountains in the low cloud cover.

On the way back Jon puts in some serious camera work. It's beautiful. At that moment I wonder how much of it will translate to film. Clearly not nearly enough translates to pictures.

Eventually we're so far ahead of everyone else we're about to lap the group that set out 30 minutes before us. Granted this costs us some time on the river but then again there is no feeling like starting dead last and finishing first. And going oo fast you beat boats in a totally different race... well, now you're just showing off.

We love acting a fool. But so does this tour company. They proclaim (after we're on the bus) that if we don't want to take the optional 'village' tour they're going to drop us in Yangshuo. Thus trying to strong arm us into paying for an extra tour we don't want. We figure- screw you guys. We know we can get a bus for a small handful of Mao's and we can check out that cool little town for a few hours. Plus, coming from Vietnam and the entire of SE Asia, we're in no mood to be hustled for crap we don't want or need. So we politely decline. It proves to be a wise and well-thought decision. Yangshuo is beautiful.

Almost everywhere you look in this town there's some spectacle demanding investigation. We decide to pause and take our time soaking in the small town's affairs. We have lunch at a local shop, opting for some appetizers, noodles, and local beers. We stroll down the main avenue peeking into the stores. Eventually it's time to make our way back to the bus station to hop our return-ride to Guilin.

On our way to the bus station I'm able to capture the above image- a wonderful illustration of the busy yet complacent of life in Yangshuo. Unfortunately we don't have the time to explore the temples and sites in the immediate vicinity such as the one on the hill in the background of the above photo, however, spending time further exploring this region is something I've added to my increasingly growing to-do-upon-return list.

We make our way back to Guilin via bus well prepared- with beers and snacks in tow, obviously. We roll along meeting some new friends who are in school in the area. The ride is more or less uneventful save for a mad dash to find a place to pee upon arrival. One of these nights Jon and I head to the crafts district. I acquire (not surprisingly) a bracelet, but more importantly we locate a place we come to describe as Captain Jack Sparrow's Pirate Beer Bar. That's definitely not the name but it definitely IS a beer bar proffering three types of beer (dark, amber, and light), and is adorned entirely with Jack Sparrow dioramas and other pirate gear.

Copyrights be damned, this place is awesome! We order a huge giraffe of dark beer and ask if they have any dumplings. The don't- but they're so cool one of the guys runs out and finds some for us. And instead of charging us whatever he felt (which he easily could have), he politely charges us the same price he paid. I'm frankly in love with this bar. Why can't we just live here?!?

Our last day in Guilin we have two basic objectives: (1) actually see the main part and sights of Guilin city; and (2) make our night train to Guangzhou. To the first I have a simple plan, see elephant trunk hill (that supposedly looks like an elephant dunking its trunk in the water), visit the pagodas, head into old town to find the Solitary Beauty Peak (a sole mountain in the middle of town adorned with a temple), find the old city wall, and discover anything else interesting the city has to offer. So... without further ado, Elephant Trunk Hill (as best I could do without paying the exorbitant entry fee to the vista below),

the Gold and Silver Pagodas,

the Solitary Beauty Park,

the Old City Wall,

And finally... well not too much else. Unless you consider a series of very elaborate and eerily familiar looking bridge designs something worth seeing. In which case... here is the Guilin Golden Gate:

Here is the Guilin London Bridge (notably not the Tower Bridge):

And finally here is a bridge that seems to match the Guilin spirit: unnecessarily high and fancy. Ha, what does that even mean?

After wandering the city in the rain we collect our bags and taxi to the train station for our the third installment of our increasingly popular China Train Series Spectacular. This time, an overnight attempt in 3rd class! At least we have seats this time. In the next entry, we ramp up the speed as Jon and I embark for Hong Kong at a breakneck pace through Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Sleep is for the weak.

Kunming & Nanning, China: Exploring China's Nether Regions

The train rolls into the station at Lao Cai around 6am. Our bunk mates are already gone. Groggily we pack up our stuff and prepare to alight. Now is the moment of truth. I've done a significant amount of reading about navigating this overland border crossing into China. In the early 2000's it was possible to take a train directly from Ha Noi to Kunming in China with a dual stop at border crossings, but since an earthquake washed out part of the tracks in the Yunnan Province, you must now disembark at Lao Cai and physically walk into China. One could call it the back-door entry into China. I do. And it fires me up.

We exit the train and locate the tuk tuks. After negotiating a reasonable gouging we're make it to the border crossing station in short order, arriving at approximately 6:30am. The border crossing doesn't open until 7:00am so we queue up in what we assume is the foreigner line. There we meet two Canadians and a guy from Singapore who are also heading to Kunming. We decide to team up.

At precisely 7:00am the border patrol office opens. We proceed through in a quasi orderly and manageable fashion and are officially stamped out of Vietnam. From here we walk across a bridge that links Lao Cai with Hekou. At the other side of the bridge is the Chinese immigration border control. This is the moment I've been fearing- will the unreasonably generous visas issued to us by the Chinese embassy actually be honored or we languish in a Chinese prison for all eternity? We fill out the requisite paperwork and stand tenuously in line. Processing goes slowly but eventually all five of us clear border control. I try to tell my body to stop sweating.

From here I know we need to walk about half a mile up the main street of Hekou where we can find a bank and the mini-bus stop where we can catch a lift to the main bus station. Everything goes according to plan, we get our first of many fistfuls of Maos at a China Construction Bank and tread over to the supposed bus stop. Only, the bus never comes. We see it going the other direction but it never comes our way. Have they changed the route? You gotta be kidding me! Damnit! It was all going so smoothly!

I'm just about to fly off into a blind rage when a man in a cobbled-together truck pulls up. He offers to give us a lift to the bus station on the back of what we come to discover is his vegetable cart. We look around at each other knowingly- there is zero chance we're passing up the opportunity to ride on a vegetable cart through the streets of China within one hour of entering the country. So we chuck our packs on the cart and then position ourselves precariously on top of them. There is just enough room for all five of us to fit; we have to hold on to each other and the cart as there are no railings and each bump nearly sends one of us careening off the edge.

The ensuing ride to the bus station one of the most ridiculous things I've ever done- and I've done a lot of ridiculous things. It quickly becomes evident the Chinese agree with my sentiment as the passengers of almost every car passing us stare at this scene in a mixture of wonder, amusement, and horror. Welcome to China, ha HA! I'm already thinking it's freaking good to be back and I'm bursting with good vibes. I do love this country.

We eventually putter to the main bus station where we book passage on a 9:30am bus to Kunming. Since it's only about 8:00am we loiter around the station convenience store checking out the differences in Chinese versus Vietnamese wares. The first thing I notice is the massive section of baijiu, a Chinese clear liquor distilled from rice or sorghum. I wonder if we'll see large sections of this in nearly every store throughout China and how it will taste (spoiler: we do and horrible). 

We also notice a massive increase in the quantity of American-made snacks and products. I meander over to the beer section where I make a find that will become a running joke throughout all of China. Jon: "what kinds of beer do they have?" Me: "let's see... they've got Harbin, Tsingtao, Budweiser (whoo hoo!), and Snow beer." Jon: "I've never heard of Snow." Me: "Me either. Oh, they also have 'Mons' beer... oh... wait sorry, I was holding it upside down- this is Snow too." Jon: "Hahaha... you're an idiot." From this moment, on the very first day in China, Snow beer would henceforth be referred to as Mons. "Toss me a lukewarm Mons!" would become a well-heard battle cry.

We stock up on snacks and board the bus, a smart decision as it's a 9 to 10 hour ride to Kunming. Despite the lengthy ride it turns out to be one the best bus trips I've taken; every hour or so the scenery changes dramatically. Lush jungles give way to arid mountains which turn into deserts which become rock forests. I'm taken aback by what I'm seeing. 

I keep motioning to Jon to look out the window but he's busy persistently watching something on his laptop. Nevertheless, with my headphones in, simply looking out at the endlessly transitioning landscape keeps me occupied all the way to Kunming. We stop once at a hole-in-the-wall type Chinese rest stop. Myself and one of the Canadians roll the dice with some sort of meat and noodle soup dish. It's not great but it is crazy spicy. I figure one way or another it's going to be a rough morning.

In Kunming I get to test out my China public bus navigation skills for the first time. As Kunming isn't a huge international tourist destination city, the vast majority of bus stop signs and street signs are only in Chinese. Thankfully I know the characters for the stop we need and figure it out with time to spare. Our hostel turns out to be one of the cooler hostels we've stayed in, boasting a ping pong table, pool table, restaurant, bar, and impromptu watermelon eating contest.

We enjoy our welcome beers and call it an early night. The next day in Kunming is consumed almost entirely of errands. Jon broke his glasses so we seek out a spare pair. The eyeglass shop proves to be too expensive but we eventually find him a pair of replacement spectacles at Walmart for $40. My task of the day is to locate a Chinese sim card for my phone which we eventually do but not before being duped out of  $15 for a non-3G sim. Come on China! (Pro Tip: If you go to China and want to buy a sim card, China Unicom is the only one to trust)

The next morning we decide to check out the Xishan Park where we understand there is a cascading series of temples on the edges of a cliff culminating with one known as the Dragon's Gate. Before making our way to the gate we stop at the base of the park where we spot Nie Er's tomb. Nie Er was the composer of China's current national anthem.

I'm thrilled about the day. I love being outdoors and I'm elated to discover there is a sizable chair lift to take us up to the top of the park.

The view from the top is, as anticipated, spectacular. You can see out over Lake Dian all the way back to Kunming proper (to the middle-left shrouded gently in smog). 

Flange and I even pose for a photo opp together.

We begin traversing our way through the series of tunnels and stairways. I turn around and get a shot of the Dragon's Gate itself. It's a long long long way down from that cliff.

For the next few hours we progress slowly down through the temple complex and to the main park entrance. From there we catch the bus back toward the parking lot and, with the help of my trusty google translate app, convince the driver to drop us off about 2/3 of the way down so we can check out the Huating Temple. 

The temple has two really cool features: (1) a secret passageway through the forest behind the temple up to another temple in the woods; and (2) some awesome wood screens depicting various stories from the story Journey to the West.

After perusing the temple grounds and saying hello to the many monks attending to landscaping and cleaning duties, we walk the remainder of the way down the hill and take the bus back to Kunming. We rip a few beers procured from the local bodega and make arguably our biggest decision of the trip: to ante up the fee to go to the "Dwarf Kingdom" or "Land of the Little People" or "Midget Theme Park" in the morning. Yes, it really exists. Want proof? Here is the opening dance sequence. That little fella in the cape coming around the letter in the middle is the King. Yes, there is a King.

They put on a show for about 45 minutes. A guy comes out and break dances. There is a Gangnam Style guy. A dwarf tango number. A dwarf boy band. Yes, we capture all of this on video. It is incredible; frankly they're pretty good dancers. I should also note at this point that we unknowingly choose to go on a day when seemingly all the neighboring elementary schools decide to have a field trip. It is us, some teachers, and about 2,000 10 year olds. And yes, I realize can barely finish writing that last sentence before some of my esteemed readers can fire off a joke. There's no way around it, and it gets way more awkward before it gets better.

As we're the only non-Chinese in the crowd we receive nearly more attention than the performers. At one point two kids come up and offer us candy (yea... irony, yes, yes). Then more kids approach and more until this snowballs to the point where we've got a pile of candy and other snacks between us. It would take us a week to eat all of it. But the kids won't leave us alone. One young fella in a hat that resembles the Mario flying cap from Super Mario 64 keeps jumping into the video and attacking Jon.

At the end of the show one of the boys is hanging around and we offer him some of our newly gifted stash. Then some of his friends come over and this gives way to a ravenous take-all. And just like that, within minutes all of it is gone. A self-induced redistribution of wealth by the children. The good Chairman would be proud.

After wandering around the rest of the park we ride back into Kunming and take a stroll around the city itself. Our first stop is Yuantong Temple built in the early 9th century. 

The most impressive element is the pond surrounding the central pagoda which is mostly drained during our visit. From the central pagoda there is a bridge across the pond to the front (above) and a second one directly behind it leading to the main altar.

The only part of the pond that has any water is the west side. I pop off another panorama (a feature I'm really beginning to love) which turns out to be the best shot of the temple.

We exit the temple and wind around the Green Lake. Across one of the bridges to the pavilion area there is some sort of exotic festival going on. Half-dressed people dance and sing traditional songs and... not-so-traditional songs. I get a ton of awesome footage but again no pictures. Someday I'll link some of the more absurd videos back to the Wanderlust. In the meantime, here are some dancing Chinese grandmas.

That night we raid the hostel bar and do some damage which puts me in the proper mood for writing. I order a round of dumplings and a few rounds of beer and get to grinding out what will be the last significant work I'll do on Wanderlust. That was April 27. 

The next morning we embark on our first train ride in China- a 10.5 hour journey from Kunming to Nanning. And since we're on a budget we've decided to forgo first class, a sleeper car, and even second class. That's right, we're training around China in 3rd class, the class where people are allowed to bring huge boxes of live crickets and smoke in the cars, the class where people stand in the aisles and sleep on top of one another, the class of the people, the greatest class there is.

The ride starts off a bit slowly so Jon and I decide to head down to the cafe car and check out the digs. I'll be damned if the beer of choice aboard the 3rd class train car in China isn't PBR. See? Americans and Chinese aren't so different after all. While it's not Coors Light, Flange is thrilled to get a solid working-man's American beer.

Aboard the train Jon and I are seated across from two middle-age Chinese ladies. To pass the time I suggest that we teach them how to play Egyptian Rat Screw. So with the help of google translate we begin the process of instructing them. After about half an hour they've got it mastered and I've come to learn that nothing will create a ruckus on a train in China like a loud game of cards. 

Our third game goes on for nearly 3 hours. Every time we're almost out- someone slaps back in and starts the process anew. By the time we call it a night there are probably 15-20 onlookers crowded around our seats. For all I know someone could have been taking bets.

The train finally rumbles into Nanning around 11:30pm. The hotel Jon booked is supposedly fairly close to the station but we can't find it for the life of us. We walk up and down the main drag, double check the directions in a McDonald's, and eventually start walking back to the station when a man approaches asking if we are looking for the hotel. He takes us through two sets of security doors, up a very sketchy elevator and into an impossibly more sketchy hallway which leads onto a roof and in through a hole in another building where somewhere along a hall marked with construction offices and makeshift dental facilities we locate our "hotel room."

Once inside, the room itself isn't terrible. It's fairly clean, there's laundry, a kitchen, and a bathroom (with an Asian-style toilet). The people running this "hotel" seem nice enough and offer us some really cheap ice cold beers. Upon scanning the premises, however, it's clear this is less of a tourist "hotel" and more of a hooker meet-up venue. But we're here for two nights so we can bear it. 

The next morning the hallway provides a stark reminder to be mindful of our surroundings. It seems as if a person was murdered in that hallway as recently as ten minutes ago. We move cautiously toward the elevator which finally arrives jam-packed with people. We elect to take the stairs and immediately regret the decision, expecting someone to leap from the shadows and stab us at any moment. 

Out on the street the scene is less threatening albeit extremely crowded and devoid of any scenic beauty. We lumber through the crowds up the main drag which is torn up in the construction of a new subway line. Is that a colossal Kobe Bryant??

"What is there to do in Nanning?" Jon asks. "Nothing as far as I know," I reply. "Then why the hell are we here?!" Jon queries. "Well, we need a stop-over to Guilin and I thought it might be nice to chill for a couple of days after Vietnam and the trek and Kunming." Later that day I would be lectured about my leisurely travel pace. From Nanning on I would be required to make a concerted effort to plan more, see more, do more, and move faster.

Personally I don't like this approach but it's a team effort. To be honest I'm growing weary of my responsibilities on this trip. Jon offers little to no assistance unless I simply demand it. Moreover, it's a very tricky proposition managing daily cash-burn versus sightseeing accomplishments. For instance, for a ton of money you can accomplish a ton in a single day. Or, you can space it out and accomplish the same amount for less over time. Plus, kill days lower the average daily cash-burn rate. None of this seems to impact my compatriot. He want's to go faster, so I concede.

Back on the streets of Nanning, not sure what to do we just keep walking. There really isn't much to see. There are some decent views from one of the main bridges across the river. A red balloon floats along the ground just in front of us. The air is melancholy. We stop to look back. The skies appear dark, foreboding, threatening. We force it.

We manage maybe another half a mile before they open up. The rain is coming down so hard and there is so much wind we can't even walk without getting soaked from our waists down. We stand near a bench under some trees and shelter ourselves as best we can. 

Eventually it lets up enough for us to make a dash into the nearest building- a public library. We loiter in the entrance looking suspicious until the rain stops. Soaked and sorry we call it a day and hike back to the hotel. We spot a Walmart and storm in to acquire foodstuffs and auxiliary supplies (beer, wine, liquor and lots of it). On the way home we notice a horrifying image- some sort of waste runoff being channeled into the river. I don't even want to know what it is. 

Needless to say China's pollution control standards are still a bit... uh, relaxed. Fully stocked we hole up in the hotel for the rest of the day and the following day. We do laundry, clean out our packs from SE Asia, upload pictures, plan out the trip through Shanghai, and generally recuperate. Well, except for rampaging on beer, wine, and really spicy ramen. But that's just the type of recuperation I need.

Overall I wouldn't recommend Nanning more than as a one-night stopover. Or, better yet, spend the extra cash for a sleeping berth and go straight from Kunming to Guilin. In any event, we're slated for another early morning train ride in 3rd class, only this time, we have no seats... so there's that to look forward to.

Bonus Photo: The best version of this hat I've seen in all of Asia. Notably not only was it light-reflective, it served this woman as a cranial-affixed umbrella substitute.

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