Travel
-
Another segment of our tour of China was a boat tour from Guilin to Yangshuo. The tour provides a fairly large cruise boat for a 4 hour tour along the Li River. The main reason to do the boat tour is that the rock mountains along the side of the river are simply stunning. The pictures that one can take along the boat tour are perhaps the best we took during the entire tour. I hope you can see why.
Another reason it is interesting is that the only purpose of the river is for cruise boats and tourists. The weather was absolutely perfect and we were surrounded by hundreds of cruise boats large and small all full of tourists just like us. I shouldn’t say that because most of the tourists are from other parts of China. Let’s not forget that all tourism is run by the government and so basicaly the River Li is owned by the Ministry of Tourism.
Another interesting part of the voyage is called 9 horses. There is a huge mountain wall, and if you carefully, you can see a horse, and then another one, and so on. I was able to see 5, legend has it that there are nine on the wall.
The water is very shallow and very clear. We are way up in the mountains, and so it is very clear fresh water. I saw a few people stopping and swimming which might be a little dangerous since there were so many boats, but I really wanted to jump in and join them. Don’t forget to watch in Full Screen Mode.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
-
Perhaps one of the most fascinating segments of our trip to China was a small side trip to the Chinese farmland. It as only an additional $20 per person for a 2 hour tour of the farmland. At first, I was quite skeptical but those fears were quickly doused.
The location of this farmland was in Yangshuo China which was located in the southeastern part of China. They said it snows in Yangshuo but we were there in the heat of the summer. This part of China is truly spectacular. These are these very large rock formations that are nestled in the country side. Most of these rocks are rather large and the size of mini mountains. It is called a rock climbers paradise because there are so many of these structures. From my standpoint, it made for some of the best photos that I have ever taken. Hope you like the slide show.
On top of that, I learned so much about the Chinese culture and government through this simple trip. Unlike the hustle and bustle of Beijing and Shanghai, the Chinese farmer lives a simple and uncomplicated existence. They have running water and electricity. Everyone has access to a television, and more recently almost every farmer has a cell phone. The internet however has not yet found its way to this small village near Yangshuo.
Shelter is provided by the government, and everyone had ample food and clothing. The housing is very basic, and does not have air conditioning nor heating despite the fact that it can get quite cold in this area. I was surprised to see the variety of food that they harvest from this land. They grow rice, soy bean, black bean, wheat, and more fruits than I can remember. The farmers are productive parts of Chinese society.
Let’s be clear that the people are in these photos are farmers that are supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, but they are also models. All tourism in the country is controlled by the Ministry of Tourism including the tour that I was on. More importantly, these farmers are part of the tour, and a small part of their compensation is also from being “models” in these tours for foreigners. Wow!
At one point in the tour, they gave us a demonstration of how rice is harvested. I had no idea, but each rice granule has a little husk that must be removed before it can be eaten. This is a very manual process although some basic machinery has been provided by the government. Here’s the kicker and this thought blew me away. The tour guide stated that the government was aware that the farmer’s productivity was not growing at the same rate as the rest of the economy. After all, China has essentially become the world’s manufacturer for very consumable good in the world from electronics, furniture and everything in between. So the tour guide stated that the government planned to transition many of the labor intensive crops such as rice to poorer nations such as Malaysia. That is right, China is planning to begin importing rice in order to further increase the productivity of their population.
Whether you agree with the Communists or not, the Chinese have a plan and a vision to become the largest and most prosperous nation on earth. They are executing on this plan, and China is growing in wealth and productivity each and every day. It is stunning to see and I learned all of this in a little farm in Yangshuo province.
2 Comments on “The Chinese Farmland”
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
-
Just the other day, Solange and I climbed to the very top of the Great Wall. It was not easy, and it was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.
The reason that it was so fulfilling is that I am afraid of heights. As I get older, it is getting more and more pronounced. Climbing to the top of the Great Wall is a harrowing climb and it is even more difficult on the way down because you can see how far you have come. Kind of like the scared cat that quickly climbs to the top of a tree.
The Great Wall is an incredible sight, but to it is very very steep and the climb is very very high. Basically you start at the ground and you go to the highest point on the mountain. Worse yet, each step is uneven. Some steps are small and some are over 2.5 feet in height. So you are always a little nervous going up and even more perilous going down.
On top of my fear of heights, I perspire a lot! To be honest, after I was done, I wasn’t that tired, but my shirt was totally wet. People were laughing because I looked like a wreck although I felt great.
There is a quotation in Chinese at the foot of the climb by Chairman Mao that said (me paraphrasing), “One cannot have success in life without first having climbed the Great Wall.” This is definitely true. It is not physically enduring, but it is a mental drain especially someone that is afraid of heights. As you climb higher and higher, you see less and less people until you get to the top and you are there with the small percentage that actually make it there.
My wife Solange took almost all of the photos, since I had put away my camera to focus on getting up and down. Put the slide show in Full Screen mode, and I hope it gives the feeling as to how high one must climb.
One comment on “The Great Wall”
-
Those are amazing pictures! It looked like a lot of fun.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
-
-
In April, Solange, me and my parents visited Foz de Iguaçu in the southern part of Brazil. It is generally thought to be the largest and most spectacular water fall in the entire world.
I made an HD video of our adventures and sights right after the trip. I was quite proud of the video particular but somehow it did not capture the full effect of how spectacular are the falls at Foz de Iguaçu. So I now have made a new slide show of the same trip. I have found a new technology which allows full screen of slides in resolutions much greater than HD at 720 p. So check it out below, just make sure you watch it in full screen mode. I think it is pretty self explanatory and leave a comment about what you think.
3 Comments on “Foz de Iguaçu New Slide Show”
-
Wow! Spectacular pictures, Rob. Looks like it was a great trip.
-
Motorboats? Helicopters? How times have changed!. I first visited the the falls in 1952 when I was a student working in Sao Jose dos Campos. My roommate and I took a rowboat ride out to Garganta do Diabo. I remember hoping our rower didn’t get a cramp. In 1975 I took my wife on a nostalgic trip to Brazil, and again visited the falls. Hotel das Cataractas was still isolated, and the rowboat was still the only transportation above the falls.
-
1962. I’m not that old.
-
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
-
-
We just got back from Foz de Iguaçu and it really surpassed my expectation. The water falls are considered to be the largest in the world, and it was stunning. The falls are so large and immense that we explored the falls in three different ways. First, we walked on the Brazilian side from the top of the falls to the bottom. Well, actually the bottom only brings you mid way down, which leads to a shelf, and which feeds to another water fall. There is a set of bridges that you can walk almost next to the water fall. So you can see a water fall above and one below you at the same time. Also, there is a rainbow rising up at your feet.Next, we rented a helicopter to get a full look at the falls. The views were fantastic, but to be honest, we still could not see the entire falls because the helicopter never passed on the Argentina side. But the images that we took were amazing. Lastly, but certainly not least, we took a boat ride to look one of the perhaps thousands of water falls up close and personal. It was spectacular, but better yet, they then drove the boat into the water fall totally soaking us. After we were done, by 82 year old father said, the best was being the boat. It was all great and I made this video so we all can remember it. Don’t forget to watch it in HD.
Robert–great trip–ours was too–Min took 1200 pics. What did you think of the traffic in Chinese cities? I wrote an article about that, and another about the changes to the marriage law. I’ll forward. -Alan
Hi Alan,
Good to hear from you again. We were in a bus most of the day and I never thought the traffic was too bad. I think it is much worse in LA. Sometimes the traffic would slow but we were never just totally stopped like it gets in LA sometimes.