Guilin

Guilin was much farther south, and it was foggy and rainy nearly the whole time we were there. We had rarely had any rain on the entire trip so far. So while we could not see the rivers and hills nearby, we welcomed the fresh wet air. 

This is from an evening walk to the nearby pagodas.

Our drive and guide took us about 2 hours away to a “minority village” to see the Longjii Rice Terraces. 

Then we got to have a lesson on making Bamboo-Tube rice. Rice!!!

The filled tubes went into the fire and and then were split open to serve.

It was delicious!

After coming back to the hotel, we were surprised when a robot came to my room. Apparently, these are used to deliver food from outside restaurants to the rooms.

That evening, we had a special treat by having dinner with Alisa. She was the person from our tour agency (Asia Highlights) who had planned and arranged our entire China and Japan trip.

We had been in constant communication for 6 months as we worked out all the details: figuring out our visas, planning activities, Lucy’s birthday arrangements, booking all the guides, drivers, hotels, trains, planes, etc. She lived in Guilin with her sweet family and they wanted to meet us in person. 

Every place has special views and famous sites, but my favorite times will likely always be the moments with real human connections.