I'm getting used to these damn early starts - I guess it's the photogrpher's curse, as the best shots are most often taken in the "golden hours", 1 hour after dawn and 1 hour before sunset. We tramped onto the bus and made our way through a very quiet Yangshuo to the village of Xingping. This is a scenic spot on the River Li - in fact, it's so scenic that it's depicted on the rear of the 20 yuan banknote (good old Chairman Mao is on the front of every note). Despite the mozzies as we neared the river, it was indeed a marvelous place, with incredible views of the karst formations in the early morning light.
We trotted over to the village for breakfast, and then we made our way to the markets. Wow, what an overwhelming barrage on the senses. Probably thousands of people buying and selling goods - all types of food and produce, textiles, farm implements, haircuts, outdoor dentist, and lots more - a rural Chinese megamall.
After lunch, we caught a bus to one of the small villages for another wander, getting a taste of the real rural life.
Our last adventure for the day was to attend cooking school. Pam is an Aussie who's set up a cooking school just outside town, and it's a popular attraction. Each of us were set up with a stove, wok, utensils and ingredients, and following our instructor Kelly's lead we prepared - and then consumed - egg wrapped dumplings, eggplant Yangshuo style, stir fried pork with vegetables and oyster sauce, and a couple of other dishes. I managed to avoid both burning the place down and poisoning myself - in fact, it was easy and delicious, although a bit hectic trying to remember all the instructions.
All in all, a wonderful, fascinating and varied day, ended by another visit to Drifters for apple crumble and ice cream.
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