I had not set out to write about my travels in China this time, but events that occurred prompted me to share this account of my recent trip to Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Most of the photographs are culled from the various websites promoting Guilin and Guangxi. They do more justice to the scenic places than I possibly can with my point and shoot instamatic.
Dec 21
This morning I abandoned Sasha and my wheelchair bound mother, in that order, to the care of my wife, and flew to Guangzhou. From Guangzhou I took a connecting flight to Guilin, in Chinareputed to be the most beautiful place under the heavens桂林山水甲天下. It was near 4 oclock when I arrived at the hotel, my well trusted Home Inn. Reaching the hotel was not without frustration. The airport bus dropped me off at a busy intersection of the city, and the driver told those of us who alighted that the train station was just around the corner. My hotel was supposed to be right across the train station. As usual there were lots of transport touts at the drop-off point, but I ignored them all and went about my own way. As I was walking in the direction of the station a guy on motorbike, also touting fares, called out to say that the station is a 20 minute walk away. That planted an element of doubt in me, so I crossed the road to hail a cab.
“Can you send me to the train station. My hotel, the Rujia, is right across the station” said I.
“On vacation? I can send you to a nicer and cheaper hotel.”. The taxi driver’s opening gambit.
“No thanks. I already have a reservation at the Rujia” I said.
“ The Rujia is a small hotel and it can be rather noisy around the station.” he persisted.
“No thanks, please send me to the Rujial”
“OK, you’re here”
Incredibly the hotel was only a hundred meters away from where I hailed the cab. That s.o.b. of a driver could have told me so, but he chose not to. The fare? 8 yuan. One dollar seventy Singapore.
I took a stroll around the hotel, got my bearings and checked out the possible makan places. It was too late for a day tour of the city so I booked one for the night. There were a couple of night tours to choose from. The hotel receptionist recommended that I do the ‘Two rivers and four lakes tour’ of the city that night as the weather for the following day would be wet and cold.
Come nightfall I took a taxi to the Wenchang Pier boarding ramp for the tour. There was another hassle on the cab. This time the driver wanted to drive me to buy tickets for the tour at an agency. I said it won’t be necessary, as I will be getting them at the Pier itself.
“They don’t sell tickets at the Pier” he lied.
“That’s okay with me. If they don’t I will just walk around the area.” I wizened.
Guilin is a tourist city, and of course its cab drivers are fare savvy, even resorting to disinformation to clinch some extra income through commissions. So be it. I have no problems with that, except that I do not want to be inconvenienced.
Just as I was paying for my ticket at the Pier office, a fifty-ish woman rushed up and offered to sell me her ticket, at a lower price, she claimed. I pretended not to understand her and begun to speak toher in English.To my surprise she answered in reasonably good English. She said something about her father not being able to come and she had to give up his ticket. She even volunteered to intepret the on-board commentary for me. Who knows. I have been made used of before. Years ago in Shanghai a Beijing woman wanted to exchange her husband’s clothing coupon for cash. When she couldn’t do that she then needed someone to model for her husband’s clothing entitlement. That was where I played my part. It was definitely some scam to make money, and when I was no longer of use, I was summarily dismissed by a light flick of her wrist. 去!去!去! Go! Go! Go! How demeaning! I well remember the look on that woman’s face. So this time round I stood my ground. No deal! That really puzzled her. She couldn’t understand why I was not willing to help her, just buy over her ticket. Like I said, I do not wish to be inconvenienced. By now I have already formed an opinion of this place. It is full of crooks and hasslers!
The tour of the city by boat was rather interesting, not unlike the canal tour of Amsterdam, except that the seating on the boat was badly designed and extremely uncomfortable. Also it would have been helpful if I could at least listen to the tour commentary but for the din created by my fellow riders’ incessant chatter. They never stopped talking, mostly in their incomprehensible regional dialects, continuously competing with the guide’s commentary over the loudspeakers.
On land, Guilin’s two rivers and four lakes are interconnected by a system of well tended and picturesque parks. It would be nice to wander around on foot had the weather been kinder. On water, an intricate system of locks enable waterborne craft to be transfered from one river system to the other. The city’s planners have done a good job in preserving Guilin’s river and lakefaçade, keeping at bay those unsightly and downright ugly high rise buildings, like those I have seen in Hangzhou. Kudos to the city planners!
For my initial attempt writing in Chinese I wish to thank Pastor Kenny Chee for his confidence in me. If not for his encouragement I would not have found the courage to put my thoughts down in a second language. Pastor Kenny is a blogger himself. His postings, mostly on religious matters, are a lot more thought provoking. You can follow them at:
r hassle on the cab. This time the driver wanted to drive me to buy tickets for the tour at an agency. I said it won’t be necessary, as I will be getting them at the Pier itself.
to be inconvenienced. By now I have already formed an opinion of this place. It is full of crooks and hasslers!
