Week Ten, Eleven & Twelve: Guilin Paradise and Disney Magic

Happy November everyone! I’m sure the days are getting colder over in the States. It sure is for me in China! This month, I’ve finally been able to pull out my sweaters and long pants. I will begin this blog post at the very end of October on Halloween. I was planning on going on for Halloween, but we decided to all stay in and watched a movie! So we all watched Saw, and it was my first time seeing this movie. It was a cozy night in.

For Dia de los muertos, a Mexican holiday, my roommate put on some beautiful traditional makeup! After class, I had a class field trip to the Shangai History Museum. We all hopped on the metro and arrived at our destination just a couple stops later. The museum is located near People’s Square tucked away in a little park area. The building was very modern looking as it had been newly renovated. Our professor showed us to the bronze vessels, the main subject for our field trip. He guided us through the different types of vessels for each dynasty and explained its meaning. Some of the stories behind the making of the vessel were interesting.

After finishing the bronze exhibit, a couple of us went to the sculpture exhibit where there were many versions of the Buddha. I loved how intricate and detailed they all were. Each variation seemed to have their uniqueness.

A group of us wandered the streets altering exiting the museum. We wound up at this Japanese mall with some eateries and an arcade. So we played some of the games and totally got scammed, but it was still fun! We spent a good amount of time looking in the shops and grabbing a bite to eat.

All of us were getting tired, so we finally made our way back to the subway station. On our way to the train, we came across a long underground strip of shops. So of course, we had to shop a little. We found a cute hat and bags shop and began to try on. I ended up getting a cute black paperboy hat.

Once back to the university, we met back up in our room just an hour later to watch Coco in celebration of Dia de los muertos.

The next night, a few of us went out to the clubs! The first one was called Sky, where the dance floor was slightly lifted off the group and once on top you could bounce on it like a trampoline. It was slightly weird and crazy because you didn’t even have to dance, everyone was moving at the same time. About an hour in, we made our way to another club called La Social, a Latin club. I could already tell this was a popping club because most everyone there was foreigners including many Latin people. The club itself was awesome, and they had cute lights and decorations. It was packed, but we still had some room to dance. Most of the songs were Latin and Columbian songs, but I vibed with them.

The next morning, November 4, my friend Helen showed us a delicious noodle spot. Around 3:00 PM, a huge group of us, met at West Gate where a bus picked us up to take us to Happy Valley, an amusement park. We arrived just before 5:00 PM. It reminded me a lot of Six Flags with tall roller coasters and long lines. Once inside the park, we were in awe by the amount of Halloween-themed decorations like plastic pumpkins strong above us on an archway. Many people were dressed in costume and snapping photos with one another. Since it was Halloween, there were several haunted houses, so our first stop was a haunted house. Most of it was pitch dark which is pretty creepy. But I seemed to be the most fearless out of my group, so I ended up in the front of the group.

Sadly, it was getting too dark, so some of the rollercoasters were closing down. Nevertheless, there were still some rides open that were just as fun. The second ride was my favorite! It was one of those where you were strapped into a seat and then lifted into the air while rotating in circles. It was thrilling, and I couldn’t stop laughing because Frida was screaming the whole time. The entire park was quite large, but we walked the whole thing. We were only able to go on two rides because the lines were long. As the sky began to darken, we headed back towards the main entrance. Music was erupting from a stage where performers in costumes were dancing. After a few minutes of watching, another group of dancers pulled us into their circle, and we danced together. I loved it!

On Wednesday morning, my roommate and I dragged ourselves out of bed at 3:00 AM to catch a taxi to the airport. We met up with Elizabeth, hailed a cab, and off we were to Guilin. We arrived at our hostel around 11:30. Driving into Guilin was beautiful. The town seemed more quaint and authentic, the way I envisioned China. Inside the hostel were cute seating areas, nice music playing, and friendly employees. It was my first time staying at a hostel. We booked a family room with two beds and a bathroom which was a luxury. After settling into the room, we walked the streets and came upon a noodle soup shop. Usually, we like to order what other people are eating. Especially since all the locals were dining, we knew this place had to be good.

Back at the hostel, we all took a nap since we were so tired from that morning. Around 6:00, we headed down to the first floor, washing our hands, and gathered around a table to create homemade dumplings. There a few other Chinese people starting on a plate of dumplings. At first, I watched Elizabeth do it because she’s made them before. Then I attempted on my own only to feel like a fool compared to everyone else. But after about ten dumplings I got the hang of it! Sitting down to wait for them to cook, we started a conversation with the Chinese people. Then two huge plates of steaming dumplings were presented to us along with two dipping sauces. I bit into my first dumpling filled with meat and greens. Absolutely amazing!!

That night, we put on some warm layers and explored the rest of the town. Several feet away from our hostel was an entrance to a park with a path circling a lake with many bridges. Lights were strung along the bridges, and the view looked out over the rest of the town. The trail led us to another bridge where people were dancing to music. Getting pumped up by the music and positive energy, Monica and I joined in. It was so fun just to dance freely and enjoy being there in that one moment. Then, we took some photos on the bridge and made our way to the other side. Two Chinese women, somewhat elderly, abruptly came up to us smiling and waving their hands at us. They held out their phones, grabbed Elizabeth first and said something about taking pictures together. The both of them were so cute and kept pulling us into their arms asking us to take the pictures. After a good twenty minutes, they finally waved goodbye, and we made our back to the hostel.

That night, we booked a half-day tour to some of the key sights in Guilin. We got up bright and early and ordered breakfast. For the first time since I arrived, I ate scrambled eggs, bacon, and some pieces of toast. Our tour guide introduced himself, and we met him inside the van shortly after. Our first destination was Elephant Trunk Hill. The main viewpoint was the famous elephant shaped rock surrounded by other mountains, trees, and the river. Close to the shoreline were several bamboo rafts where the boat rider was waiting for passengers. Then, we walked further down the path to see the rock from a different point of view. Our guide explained the meaning behind the creation of this place. We came across a large tree covered in red tassels and string. Couples we come here and tie a tassel to one of the tree branches to signify their connection and love towards each other.

Our next stop was just a quick 10 minutes away. Our guide said there was a view at the top of the hill which was exactly 350 steps away. So we trekked up the 350 stairs only to be swept away by the 360-degree view of Guilin. What was interesting about this viewpoint was that we could see both the beautiful mountain ranges as well as the buildings and homes. According to our tour guide, Guilin wanted to maintain it’s beauty, so they made sure not to build structures that were too high. On the top of the hill, there were many tourists who we conversed with for a little while.

Our last stop on tour was to the Reed Flute Caves, a natural and preserved cave with some added humanmade beauty. Inside the caves were all shapes and sizes of stone pillars. The whole cave was artificial illuminates by multiple-colored lights. The cave was fast, with a variety of different colors. Its composition is made out of calcium carbonate, and the whole cave was molded by water. One needed to use their imaginational to see certain figures and natural objects. For example, some of the rocks had a texture that looked like a flower, and one looked like the Statue of Liberty. The coolest part was that you could see the reflection of the lights and the rocks when you glanced down at the water. It was very trippy because if you squinted into the water, it almost seemed like there was a whole other cave down below.

Once out of the cave, we saw a beautiful waterfall shaped by flowers and greenery. Some of the locals were trying to haggle us to buy their products unique to Guilin like snacks and wooden trinkets. Alas, our tour guide showed us back to the hostel. He kindly showed us to a local lunch spot that served Guilin’s most exceptional noodle dish called mi fen 米粉. They were the best Chinese noodles I’ve ever tasted!! The best part was the garlic and chives which you could add to your liking. That same night, we meandered around town again attempting to find the night market. Although we didn’t find it, we enjoyed our time. We took photos at the Sun and Moon pagodas and listened and watched some street music dancers and performers.

On our last day, we paid for a Li River rafting tour, which was my favorite activity we did. Transportation to the river was provided by the hostel which was very convenient. It was over an hour until we arrived at the river. Immediately after stepping off the bus several local women held out flower crowns and wooden toys and haggled us to buy. They didn’t stop, so we gave in and bought flower crowns. We had some time to grab some noodles, enjoy the view and take photos before boarding on the raft.

The rafts held four people plus the driver. Our tour leader put us together with one other lady, handed us life vests, and we boarded the rafts. There had to have been at least ten different rafts. Even before boarding, the view was just beautiful. The temperature was perfect, the sun was out, and there was just a slight breeze once on the water. I instantly felt so at peace being this close to the water. Each turn of the head you saw mountains. It was unreal, almost like a painting where the far-off mountain heads were faded, and the clouds looked like pillows. It was the most relaxing and soothing one hour boat ride.

Sadly, our ride came to an end as our driver pulled up next to a rocky area. One man was carrying a bamboo pole on his back with two black birds perched on each end. Monica was intrigued and decided to pay a small amount of kuai to take a picture of her holding the pole. Of course, we followed and did it too! Then, a quick bathroom break and off we went to the town of Xing Ping on little golf carts. On the way to the town, there was a viewpoint that was the same exact landscape seen on the 20 Yuan. Unfortunately, we did not have to walk back to the location. Nevertheless, we arrived at Xing Ping, a cute town with many stores. We only had about 15 minutes, but I bought some freshly cut mangoes and bought a pretty scarf. Alas, we hopped on the last bus which took us to Yang Di, a more modern city with connection back to the airport. There, we grabbed food (Guilin noodles of course) and waited for the bus. I took a nap on the bus. It was not until 1:30 AM that we arrived back to our dorms. Tired as heck, we crashed. But as I fell asleep, I couldn’t help but feel so much joy, for Guilin was one of my favorite excursions.

Nevertheless, we arrived at Xing Ping, a cute town with many stores. We only had about 15 minutes, but I bought some freshly cut mangoes and bought a pretty scarf. Alas, we hopped on the last bus which took us to Yang Di, a more modern city with connection back to the airport. There, we grabbed food (Guilin noodles of course) and waited for the bus. I took a nap on the bus. It was not until 1:30 AM that we arrived back to our dorms. Tired as heck, we crashed. But as I fell asleep, I couldn’t help but feel so much joy, for Guilin was one of my favorite excursions.

The next few days were recovery days. On Saturday, Monica and I stayed in except to get food and do a little shopping on Yanchang. Monday class resumed. And Tuesday was Shanghai Disneyland!!! I didn’t have class on Tuesday, so it was a perfect time to go. The six of us girls woke up around 6:00 AM, got ready and took the 1.5-hour metro ride directly to Disney. One guy was selling cheap Minnie Mouse ears, so we all got them. Although it was a little chilly, the sun was out. I was jumping up and down and singing Disney songs. The line for security was pretty short because it was a weekday. Honestly, I had a perfect day!! We made it to almost all the rides except two, one which was closed. My favorite ride was Tron, based on the movie Tron Legacy. The whole inside of the ride was dark and illuminated with neon blue lights. We dropped off our bags in a roller bin and got on these Tron motorbikes as if we were driving them. Suddenly, we all zipped off, going at lightning speed. The coaster went outside only for a little but went back into the color shifting arena. We couldn’t see anything but the neon lights, so all of the turns and dips were unpredictable which made it even more thrilling. We all loved it so much we went on it three times.

My second favorite thing we did was attend a live-action Tarzan performance. The show was all in Chinese and began with a neat recreation of the opening scene of the movie which was display on tan curtains. Minute later, the curtains disappeared into the ceiling and the performers took place on the stage. The set was so realistic, and all the dancers were in costume. They did about five or six dances. My favorite ones were the dances with Tarzan and Jane. The stunts they performed were spectacular and sent Ooos and Aahhs across the crowd. For one of the songs, a large ring was suspended in the air as the dancers did acrobatic moves on the ring. They also recreated a tear-jerking scene where Kerchak gets shot. The whole show was well-done and unique!!

We made our way back towards the entrance to see the castle at night. Unlike some of the other Disney parks, we were able to enter the castle and see a cute interactive walk-through of Snow White. To wrap up the night, we grabbed some sweet snacks, found a spot along the railing to watch the closing ceremony performance. At first, we all expected a firework show, but as soon it began, scenes and songs from several Disney movies were reflected on the castle with beautiful visuals. Most of the songs were in Chinese which was cool, but I sang along in English. Some fireworks accompanied the songs but only at the most dramatic part of the chorus. Overall, I had a magical day, and I was so happy to go with my closest friends!

If you’ve read this far thank you so much for reading this blog post, it means a lot to me! And now, we’ve arrived at Wednesday as I’m currently writing this post. It still shocks me sometimes that I’m in China. Every day, I learn something new about my friends or a little slice of China’s culture and history. The best part of coming to a whole new world is the things you began appreciating more and more. My parents will arrive this Saturday to tour Shanghai, and then we will embark to Chiang Mai for five days. I’m getting super excited to go back to Thailand. Please stay tuned for my next blog post which will be all about my excursions in Thailand. I love you all so much! <3