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12th March 2008

My Li River experience 3 replies

On the bus going to Yangshuo today, a Chinese guy befriended me and he eventually got around to asking if I would stay in his hostel. One of the inevitable joys of traveling solo - it is almost impossible to get away from the crazies and touts looking for a chat. I wanted to look around the town to find somewhere to stay but by the time we pulled in Yangshuo it was pretty clear he wasn’t going to leave my side without me at least taking a look at his hotel. Trying to ignore him by listening to my Ipod only made him shout louder: “where you from Australia”?

The hostel was nice enough - 80RMB a night. “How long you stay? We give you discount.” Three days, I said. He starts writing up a receipt for 240RMB. “What about my discount?” “Ok, 230RMB” was his reply. I was done arguing.

I paid the money and then him another woman started hassling me to take a tour. Tired and hungry all I wanted to do was go and eat. The lady went into her sales spiel about all of the tours I could do and she drew up a schedule for my stay in Yangshuo. I told her I will decide later I tried to tell her. “I give you discount”, she kept shouting as I tried to get away from the hostel. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t want to do a tour or the price, I just wanted to get something to eat.

Afer eating breakfast and checking my email I decided to head back and give one of her “tours” a try - a half day trip up the Li River - 150 RMB. I was pretty sure she said the price included the bus and the boat. She walked me to the bus stop and I got a regular mini bus to Xinping. A bumpy hour ride later through the countryside I switched buses and eventually made it to the boat.

I had to pay for both bus trips. I speak a bit of Mandarin, but trying to say something like “the woman in my hotel who sold me this tour said the bus trips were included in the price of my tour”. It was a regular local bus with people carrying their bags of rice, so it was pretty hard to argue. Perhaps I will now have to pay for my boat trip, I was thinking to myself and the receipt the woman gave me for my tour wasn’t worth anything.

Fortunately the boat lady recognized my piece of paper and I was ushered onto a shakey looking boat. I started talking to a fellow passenger from Korea and I couldn’t help asking him how much he paid for his tour - 50RMB. I paid three times the price. Another passenger was Chinese-Malaysian who overhead our conversation and they all couldn’t stop laughing. She also kindly translated how much I paid to the other Chinese passengers.

I felt bitter at my hotel, but I tried to put it out of my mind and just enjoy the trip. The trip is pretty spectacular. The scenery is even featured on the 20RMB note. We stopped for pictures and a bbq fish snack.

Heading back up the river to go back the boat driver did an abrupt 180 degree turn. He was looking around anxiously and we pulled into the bank. He asked everyone to get off. He then asked us to head up into the bushes on the bank. I asked the Malaysian girl what was happening and she told me how we were on an unlicensed boat and driver had heard the police were around. If he got caught he would have to pay 8000RMB.

After waiting a while we got back on the boat and made it back with no sign of police.

I made it back to my hotel and I walked into the hotel with a Chinese guy who introduced himself as the “owner” of the hotel - Larry. He asked what I had been doing and I said I just took the Li River boat trip. His next question was, how much I had paid. (Why would he ask this, instead of something like how was the trip?) When I told him he said, “very cheap”. I told him how much other people paid and he said that can’t be true. “So, which tour do you want to take tomorrow?” he asked me. I hurried off to my room to avoid having to answer.

If I booked the tour from someone in the street, I could understand what happened, but at my hotel where I am staying for another couple of days?

Li River Yangshou

Li River Yangshou

Li River Yangshou

Li River Yangshou

Li River Yangshou

This rock is suppose to look like an old man’s face.

Li River Yangshou

Li River Yangshou

Stopping for a snack and some souvenirs.

Li River Yangshou

My unlicensed boat.

Yangshou Li River

Cute girl

3 Responses to “My Li River experience”

  1. Rick McCharles says:
    March 12th, 2008 at 10:07 pm

    Love your site. Read every post and even link to some of them.

    I spent about 4 months in China in 1997 and can REALLY relate to your frustrations.

    Most famously, were the touts who could not understand why I was so disinterested in many “attractions”.

    How can you not want to see such a FAMOUS non-attraction.

  2. Mike says:
    March 13th, 2008 at 3:36 am

    Thanks for the comment. If you came to China now I am sure you will notice some big changes.

    I agree with you about the so called “attractions”. Sometimes I enjoy just kicking back drinking a beer and chatting with the locals and other tourists.

  3. Chris De La Rosa says:
    March 13th, 2008 at 1:24 pm

    I stumbled upon your blog via an article on Johnchow.com and I very happy I did. Thanks for sharing your experience and pictures. My goal is to visit China within the next couple years for a family vacation.

    Keep up the great work.

    Regards

    Chris

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