The Li River

I am not going to write much here about today as I think the pictures will speak for themselves. I will say that this was one of the most beautiful trips of my life ... and travelling by boat down the Li River, through the Guilin Mountains, lived up to all my dreams.

We left our hotel early and headed to the river docks to board our boat for the day. We would spend the next 5+ hours cruising along and enjoying what each bend of the river brought to us. Enjoy the trip...

The famous Osmanthus trees of this region make a sweet wine that many of us tasted...

While Dad considered the offered Snake Wine, but passed!

We regularly left our cabin to watch the passing scenery from the top deck.

Finally, after a lovely day, we reached the end of the cruise and departed in Yangshuo, which has a wonderful market...especially for those of us who love to shop. Here are some snapshots of that part of our adventure!

After a couple of hours, we were picked up in large golf carts (really!) and transported through the small town to the parking lot where all the tour buses wait. Look at this picture - is it not one of the most beautiful parking lots you have ever seen?

We then left Yangshuo and passed back through the Mountains to the Guilin airport where we caught our flight to our next destination - Chengdu. By the time we arrived in the hotel and waited briefly for our hotel keys, the kids were drooping (and so were their parents)...

But the memory of the beauty we travelled through and lived with the last two days still makes me smile. Guilin will have a place in my heart always.

(Thanks again to b-i-l Damian Steel and his lovely camera for this last shot.)