Day 185: Biking the Li Valley
One of the highlights of any trip to the Guangxi is taking a bike ride through the Li Valley, in order to admire the karst mountain peaks that surround the area. We rented a pair of 10-speed mountain bikes from our hotel (only RMB 30, including locks so we can secure that during our hikes!) and took off towards Yangshuo. We had fantastic weather in the morning, during the most scenic part of our ride. Though clouds rolled in in the afternoon, we welcomed the shade as we parked the bikes for a mountain hike.
One of the most famous mountain peaks in the area outside Yangshuo is “Moon Hill” – a mere hour away if we stuck to the main freeway. However, we had all day to explore, so we grabbed a tourist map and charted a course along the Li River, cutting inland around the half-way mark. When we asked our hotel manager how long our proposed route would take, he seemed aback; “I think, maybe, 6 hours just to get there!” We must be faster bikers than the average tourist – even though we ended up taking a wrong turn, doubling our distance – the entire ride there and back took us 7 hours.
According to our tourist map, we should be biking along the river. Once we reach the river, however, we discover that the road is set back from the river, winding through the little villages and farms along the way – it’s still very scenic, but makes navigation a little difficult for us whenever we come to a fork in the road
It’s a glorious morning for a bike ride in the Li Valley
Deserted roads and lovely landscapes in the Li Valley
We pass by many farms and fields of crops during our bike ride
The Li Valley: picturesque fields, mountains in the background
We reach the small Liugong Village around 11AM, and pull over to the a quick water break, before crossing inland toward the Moon Hill
All the cute animals we cannot pet! A sweet, attention-hungry puppy begs for a belly rub, and a drove of curious pigs
We end up taking a *long* detour when we turn right too early, but finally reach the Ten Mile Gallery, which is littered with scenic spots (requiring admission tickets). We first stop at the Big Banyan Tree – a 1,500-year-old tree that sounded a lot cooler in the brochure than it was in real life. Also, correct us if we are wrong, but it looks like their precious banyan tree is being attacked by a strangler fig?
More bamboo raft rides along the smaller Yulong River
After biking for about 4 hours, we were getting hot and hungry – we try to buy some ice cream in the Banyan Tree park but are horrified by the RMB 20 price tag! We exit and pick up a couple of chocolate ice creams for RMB 5 each immediately outside the ticket office – my mama didn’t raise no fool!
Another 2KM down the road is our main attraction: Moon Hill – a limestone peak with a round hole that looks like a half moon or crescent moon, depending on your angle (the sign claims you can also see a “full moon” – we didn’t see it really see how that is possible given the hole is not a full circle…?)
View of Gaotan Town from the top of Moon Hill
A rock climber hangs precariously from the roof of Moon Hill – watching him dangle, several hundred feet from certain death, we honestly have no desire to ever take up that sport
Hiking down the hill, Lindsay mimics the selfie-obsessed locals by posing at the appropriately named “Vanity Lookout”
Enjoying a peaceful alfresco dinner at our hotel on the outskirts of town, admiring the bright lights of Yangshuo *from a distance*
Bolstered by the delicious breakfast that morning, Lindsay finally braves some Chinese food for dinner. Igor sticks to Western standards, which works out just fine for his chicken sandwich and fries, but is a total disaster for his “French Onion Soup” – a milky mess of chopped red onion covered by a piece of white toast and slice of Kraft Singles!