2/20/2010 ? River Ride

Today we went on a boat and traveled up the Lijiang River. Along the river I saw men on bamboo rafts selling items. A few of them would hook their little raft to our boat and try to sell wares through the windows. On the banks of the river were some herds of water buffalo and goats. In the background were beautiful limestone rock mountains. We even went through the spot that is printed on the 20 yuan note. At the end of the boat tour we arrived in Yangshuo a town that was only opened to foreigners in 1970. Now the main street we walked through to get from the river to our hotel (west street) was packed with venders and buyers. All sorts of arts, crafts, clothes, and souvenirs were being sold.

Once we were at the new hotel (our stuff had been dropped off by a bus) we went out to see one of the famous caves that this area of China is known for. The Cave we went to was enormous. Different rock formations were named and lit with colored light. Some were a cool blue and others were pink, green, and purple. As we went through the cave different shapes were brought to our attention. There were lions, dragons, monks and mothers seen in the rock formations.