Yangshuo: Bicycle and Light Show

We sleep in and then plan the day: a little bike tour along the Yulong River and in the evening the light show 'Impression Sanjie Liu' is on the agenda. Getting up earlier would have been worth it: when we rent the bikes from the hotel, there are only two small bikes left, probably made for children or delicate Chinese women.

How Stef manages to ride it is a mystery to me, but it causes quite a lot of laughter (mainly from me, but also from some pedestrians we pass by). Not surprisingly, riding along the Yulong River on the way too small bikes is very exhausting. In addition, the seats are soaked (and shortly after our pants and underwear too) and extremely uncomfortable. We ride along the river to Yangshuo and visit a 1400-year-old tree (okay, the tree was beautiful, but of course it is located in a 'scenic park' that is not very scenic, but costs admission). Then we have lunch, which is very delicious, but later in the day it causes stomach rumbles for me. We return to the hotel, our thighs are burning from the unusual posture and our buttocks are in considerable pain. Every bump makes me whimper - but also laugh.

We are back at the hotel at 3pm and first we have to do something practical that we have longed for: laundry! There is a washing machine in the hotel, we are grateful for that! After a short break, we go to the light show 'Impression Sanjie Liu'. The director Zhang Yimou choreographed it - up to 600 people (and a few animals) participate! Something like this can only happen in China... It would have been good to familiarize ourselves with the content of the sung and danced story - because we didn't understand anything. It was obviously about a love story, but I couldn't say more. That will be caught up now.

But the show is really recommendable, if only because you want to see 400 people on stage at once or sit in a Chinese audience: no clapping, constant chatting, recording videos (and of course playing them back right away), and almost everyone leaves 5 minutes before the end of the performance. Just these observations are a show in themselves.

After the show, on the recommendation of the hotel, we go to the West Street in Yangshuo. Immediately I remember the statement of the Dutch woman we met during the hike a few days ago: Yangshuo is the most touristic place I have ever been to. I can only agree with her: the street is crazy! The sellers try to outdo each other, whether with music or slogans. It is a deafening noise. We are completely perplexed and overwhelmed by the sounds and crowds of people. This is not our thing at all and we soon long for the serene tranquility of our hotel, where only the rooster crows occasionally.