G9 Travel Guide: 48 hours in Guilin, China

Guilin - Karst Formations

After a long week in Shanghai, we finally ventured out of the urban jungle and into Guilin and eventually Yangshuo (to be covered in a subsequent post). The contrast was striking. Guilin is a surprisingly large city sprawled out along the Li River.

Fun Facts:

• Imagess of Guilin were used as set backdrops for the planet Kashyyyk in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
• The scenery from the twenty Yuan bill can be found on the Li River.
• Local industry is pharmaceutical goods and tires(?!)

 

Seven Star Park

Rogue monkeys observe visitors at Seven Star Park

As the onslaught of monsoon season set in, Guilin wept with torrential rain. This led to interesting perspectives at night.

Guilin - CIty Center

Liberation Bridge - Guiln

Within Seven Star Park you can find a full day’s worth of activities. The park covers 297 acres and includes caves, water falls, rock-climbing, amusement rides, and a zoo with pandas!

Seven Star Park

Get off the paths and explore.

Very cool to see red pandas, very uncool to see them accustomed to receiving juice boxes from visitors.

Giants Pandas

May Day brought a time for celebration and the Chinese know how to celebrate with a bang. Fireworks rained down over Elephant Trunk Hill.

Fire extinguishers were on hand.

Fireworks are hard to shoot.

The Chinese know how to throw a party.

We could have enjoyed another 24 hours in Guilin, but we were in search of more. We wanted to get deeper and further out there. We jumped on a boat and headed down the Li River towards Yangshuo, paradise was in our sights.

Coming next: G9 Travel Guide to: 48 hours in Yangshuo.

Heading up the Li River

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