China Stop 3: Li River

The next adventure on the tour was a cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo.  The riverboat was a double-decker and we were seated on the top deck with the other foreign tourist while locals, tour guides, and local tourists were on the lower deck.  Although only about 85km, the cruise took 5 hours since the waters were very low and the boats had to move very slowly to navigate.  As we went down the river, local farmers would paddle out to the boat on bamboo rafts to try to sell their goods to the passengers.  It was quite a trick to time the approach alongside the moving riverboat and toss a hook to latch onto the side.  The scenery was spectacular as we wound our way through gorgeous mountains with rounded tops that I don't think you can see anywhere else in the world. The pictures speak for themselves.