Off to China

The day started ridiculously early. I cheeked out of halls at 6am so that I could get over to the hostel where the Dragon Trip was meeting at 7. After a mad rush across town with all my luggage, and still not making it on time, I meet the other two women doing the full trip with me and out first group leader. We then headed over to the Peak Tram and the Peak for breakfast and orientation. Despite having been to the Peak multiple times I have yet to take the Peak Tram so it was nice to have that experience before I left.
 
After coming back down I had to get to the post office to send a box of stuff home. And here is where to first adventure of this trip began. It as still early, just after 9, and only a few post offices were open. The tour guide suggested one that was just down the road so I sett off with me box to find it, only to get there and find out that they have new opening hours and don’t open until 10. Now I didn’t have much time because we have to get on a train to cross the border before 10:30 and there was no was I was going to be able to walk to the other post office and back in time. Thankfully just as I was exiting the first post office a taxi was coming down the street. I jump in and off we are to the next post office. So I get to the post office, fill out the form and attempt to pay with my card when I am informed that, sorry we only take cash… Really!?!?!?!? She says the nearest ATM is just down the street but that was a lie. After running around for another 10 min asking everyone I ran into if they know were an ATM is I finally manage to find one and get the money. And then I ran all the way back to the post office. You have to keep in mind that it is already in the 30s and I am now completely drenched. Thankfully after paying I see that there is a taxi stand right outside the post office and hop in one to head back to the hostel. As soon as I am there we pick up our stuff and make our way to the train station.
 
After getting the train to the border and going through immigration I am in China. And because of my mad adventure this morning we only have 20 min before we have to get on the three-hour bullet train to Guilin.
 
We arrive in Guilin and are picked up by our next tour guide who loads us into a bus for a two-hour drive to Yangshuo. On the bus we drive past beautiful limestone hills. Several have cemeteries build into the base of the hill raising one fourth of the way up the hill. There are hills as far as the eye can see and they progress in color from rich dark green to hazy blue grey in the distance. Along the way our tour guide explains that the local economy is about 50/50 tourism and farming. They grow oranges, clementines and pomelos. There are underground rivers so they can’t build too high or too far underground because the land won’t support it.
 
And that was my first day in China.