YANGSHUO

It seems like every city I've been to in China has a slew of construction cranes and a countless number of new high-rises going up. Luckily this was not the case in Yangshuo. But no matter how much it grows, nothing will be able to compete with it's magnificent karstic skyline. Towering over the Li River and dominating the middle of the old-town is Green Lotus Peek, and a half hour after I'd jumped off the boat from Guilin I was scaling it's precipitous slopes. At first I was surprised at how unexploited it was, considering it's accessibility, but two minutes into the climb I realized why. Let's just say that I doubt many people would visit the Empire State Building if they had to take the stairs. The trail was steep and muddy, and at times I had to scramble up boulders and pull myself up little cliffs by ropes that had been jimmy-rigged to small trees. It was worth it though, the views were absolutely amazing. The thought of staying for the sunset crossed my mind, but descending the peak after dark would've been a sure-fire kamikaze mission. Anyways, I wanted to be in good shape for the following day's bike ride into countryside...