A Magnificent Cruise

Carol and I both had pretty low expectations of our Li River cruise.  We figured it would be a Staten Island ferry type thing, although with the rain/mist, we would have had an open boat with a canvas top to keep us "dry."  Talking with others in the group during the cruise, they had similar low expectations.

Wow -- were we ever wrong!  After being bused out of Guilin for, yes, an hour, we boarded the boat.  We had to cross five other river boats to get to ours -- this is quite the thing to do, apparently.  And it quickly became apparent why it was very popular to do.

But first, a word about our boat.  Ship? (With a mid-sized boat/ship like this, I'm never sure what to call it).  I googled Li River cruises, and the word "boat" is used, so that's what I will use. More thought than you wanted to read, I bet!)

The boat was amazing and beautiful.  Three stories high, the third story was an uncovered viewing platform.  Nat Geo booked the second story cabin for our group, and it was exceedingly comfortable.  Big leather chairs, tea service, big windows.  First class all the way.  The hoi polloi was on the first level.  But they were not slumming it either, as they had the same comfortable set up that we had.  (Editor's Note: So maybe they weren't the hoi polloi?  Blogger: You are probably right, but it is always fun to write "hoi polloi" -- sort of like "poop.")

Anyhow, as we cast off up river along with the other river boats, the boat did a U-turn, affording the most dramatic scenery (the first photos in the post below).  Stunning.  Absolutely jaw-dropping.  The photos don't do it justice, but if you click on this link for Li River paintings, you will have some sense of the majesty of the setting.

There was an outside viewing area at the front of our cabin, and the back third of the second floor was also open.  Everywhere we looked the views were amazing.  And, it wasn't just a one-way view.  It was fun to go to the back and look backwards to see from a different angle what we had seen from the front.

For most of the 3.5 hour cruise there were jaw-dropping views around every turn.  There was the occasional home, or village.  There were lots of small boats, acting as fishing boats or water taxis.  Some seemed to be Sunday cruisers, while others were working.

A sunny day would have been beautiful, but the mist gave it a more incredible look.  At some point, I had to force myself to stop taking photos and just enjoy the view.  It was a cool day, so occasionally we would go inside our top-notch cabin to warm up. 

At one point, we literally came to the money shot.  The view is on the back of the 20 yuan note (all Chinese currency has Mao on one side, and some famous scenery on the other.)  A little before that, our local guide, Sonny, told gave us a heads-up we were fast approaching that view.  So, some of us went up to the third level.  I got some pictures of the view, and also of the view whilst holding up a 20 yuan note.  Very cool.

After that, the landscape got a little less dramatic, although it was interesting to see the terraced farm fields.  It was also time for lunch, so we spent a bunch of time in the cabin, talking with Bill and Linda and watching the world go by.

At the end of the journey, we came to the small town of Yangshuo.  The karst mountains were back, there was a bride on the other side having wedding photos taken, and there was something to gawk at in every direction.

After being underwhelmed by the Reed Flute cave the day before, we were absolutely blown away by the stunning beauty of the Li River boat cruise.