@travellingwiththeateam

Our holiday from travelling started today, with a lovely breakfast at the Amnaya Resort Hotel.

What a spread, we counted 4 courses, starting with fresh fruit, then sourdough toast with butter and jam, followed by fruit muesli and then a breakfast muffin with bacon, eggs and all the trimmings. Alongside this we had free real orange juice and coffee fill ups. That will sort us out for the whole day!

After this great start, we moved to the nearby pool to soak up the rays.

The facilities and staff here are excellent and we are relishing spending 5 blissful days here.

The design and planting around the pool is inspired, with climbers hanging down from the roof and bright colourful bushes and trees sitting within the green garden above.

We have quickly embraced this serene atmosphere, with a good read and chill out music in our ears from SoundCloud.

Mid-afternoon Andy took himself off to the gym for a run on the treadmill and a spot of weight training, whilst Michelle finished reading her latest book.

At 4pm the hotel offers free coffee & tea with a light snack, so we wandered over for a lite bite.

Before dinner, Andy went out to explore Kuta beach and to grab a few essentials.

At this time of the year, Bali is awash with Australians who have escaped for some winter sun. This includes Andy’s cousin Jayne, who we last saw in Adelaide and is holidaying up in Ubud!

The walk to the beach takes us past an array of stalls and markets selling local crafts and a huge range of ‘knock off’ designer gear. Andy has already spotted Birkenstock sandals, so he just needs to negotiate a fair price!

We were last in Bali back in March when it was a lot quieter, now in September the beach beds and bars are full, with tourists relaxing in the sunshine drinking cheap beers and cocktails.

The waves breaking on the beach offered up signs of a decent surf, so a return visit on another day will definitely be in order.

It’s been a glorious sunny day and hopefully a sign that we will have more to come over the next week or two.

Kuta is going up the world with the recent arrival of Beachwalk, a modern and upscale shopping & restaurant mall.

It includes a host of names that we recognised including Zara, Mango, Uniqlo, Sephora along with Onitsuka the Japanese shoe brand.

Returning to the hotel, we showered and changed and headed out for a drink to take in the sights of Kuta by night!

Our hotel sits just off the main drag, so it was a short walk before we came across a decent bar and ordered our first Bintang of the evening.

Like many bars and restaurants along the strip there was live music being played, both modern and traditional.

After a couple of drinks we went for a wander and caught a Balinese dance performance in full swing.

Our first day back in Bali and we already feel relaxed and at ‘home’, helped by our fantastic hotel and the warm welcome from the hotel staff. Bring on day 2 of the holiday within a holiday stay..!!!

A day of travel, with three countries visited over the 24hrs.

We woke early at the Harbour Bay hotel in Hong Kong, and were in an Uber to the airport before 6am.

The 45min journey was a dream, with no sign of daily commuter traffic, and after a quick check in at the Malaysian Airways desk, we were sitting on the plane by just after 8am.

The airport at Hong Kong like that of other Asian hubs is like an Aladdin’s cave of high fashion stores, catering for the Chinese tourists, not ‘poor’ backpacking travellers like ourselves!

This was our third time at KL airport, having passed through twice back in April with prior visits to Borneo and mainland Malaysia, but this time we had a matter of hours before we took off again to Bali.

After almost a month in China, it was strange to be in the ‘majority’ again with so many western faces, having been a near celebrity in places like Beijing!

Flying Malaysian Airways is always a treat. Despite being just 3hrs long, we got a tasty meal and a couple of glasses of wine, along with countless films to watch via their streaming service. British Airways take note….

Arriving into Bali, proved relatively quick, although they have reintroduced self Covid checking which meant downloading an App to say we weren’t ill. Oddly no one asked to see the results when we passed through passport control.

Our hotel in Kuta was thankfully just a 10min drive from the airport and the spacious homely room was a welcome sight.

As was the large shower with a full range of toiletries to help us wash off the grime of today’s journey.

We knew we were back in Bali when the first Bintang arrived at the hotel bar table. A welcome sight, setting us up for a relaxing evening. We now have a few days chilling in Kuta before Amelia and Meg arrive from the UK.

Tomorrow morning we plan to put on our swim wear, grab a book and relax in the sunshine. After a quick recharge, in the afternoon we will go to explore Kuta beach and the other sights in the area.

A slower start to the day, with a relaxed breakfast in the hotel and then a mid morning meet up with Christine for one last look around Hong Kong Island.

We met close to Central Station, where all the major stores are represented before taking a short walk up to the botanical garden and a visit to the small zoo.

The heat and the humidity of the day meant that by the time we’d arrived at the small zoo, we already needed a break and a small rest whilst the perspiration eased.

The botanical gardens sit on the lower part of the hill, having been established as far back as the 1860’s, and provide a welcome escape from the hustle & bustle of the rest of the city and nearby skyscrapers.

The zoo whilst small, was free and the inhabitants appeared pleased to see us, those that were awake and weren’t hiding in the shadows to avoid the sun.

We managed to see a range of monkeys, sloths and even apes, who all performed in their little way as we walked on by past their cages.

We did consider looking further around, but the steep gradient and heat put us off, and instead we enjoyed the fountain and park area at the foot of the hill.

After a pleasant hour meandering around the gardens; we headed back to the train station and a short ride to Kennedy Town.

Kennedy Town was only three stops, and on getting out we instantly felt more relaxed with the quieter vibe of this beach suburb. Amusingly we saw a tram with a destination of Happy Valley, coincidentally the same name as one of Michelle’s favourite tv show.

KT has some great independent cafes along the waterfront, so we decided to stop off for a coffee.

After a much needed rest we returned to the sunshine and took in the views across the bay, enjoying our last few hours with Christine before we said our goodbyes.

It’s been lovely to spend time with her, especially for Michelle, and I know we will keep in touch and see her again when we return to the UK.

Returning to the hotel, we enjoyed the bay views from our 36th storey bedroom before Andy went to the gym for a much missed run on the treadmill, and Michelle did the final packing in readiness for our early morning flight to Bali.

This evening we met up with a Chinese guy called Chris, who we kindly shared a taxi cab back with us in Kuala Lumpur airport in mid-April.

Chris travelled all the way from mainland China after finishing work to see us. What a star and so very generous with his time. He was so pleased to hear we’d enjoyed our time in China and that we would be telling others that they should visit.

We had dinner at a nearby pizza restaurant and heard about Chris’s own plans to visit Los Angeles for 2mths in September for his work.

All being well he has a trip to London next year when we plan to meet up again.

We had such a great evening and Chris helped to make our final night in Hong Kong a special one.

We had only a short walk back to our hotel at the end of the night, whereas poor Chris had a 2.5hr train journey. We so appreciated the effort he put in to see us again and to hear about our time in his great country.

Tomorrow we have a full day of travel. Our first flight to Kuala Lumpur is 3.5hrs, with a 2hr layover, before a second flight of 3.5hrs to Denpasar, finishing with a short drive to Kuta, for a few days of rest and relaxation!

Last but one day in Hong Kong, so still a few places to see, and what better way to do that than with a walking tour.

We met up with Christine from our old China tour group, along with a mix of Spanish & other Europeans and started our 3hr walk around Central and Soho.

We started in Bank Street, the original home of HSBC and heard the history around the building design, with an open square opposite the bank and a clear view all the way down to the harbour, all part of the feng shui beliefs.

A feng shui ‘war’ occurred following the design and build of the nearby Bank of China Tower, due to the angled and threatening shape of the latter towards HSBC. To ‘defend’ itself HSBC bank ended up having a figurative gun on the roof pointing back at the Bank of China Tower!

Our tour took place on Sunday when all the Philippine female workers meet up on their only day off to share food and catch with their friends as they take shade underneath the banks reception.

The walk around Central involved a fair amount of steps as the city is perched on the side of a hillside and the streets have a San Francisco feel to them with pronounced ups and downs.

As our walking tour progressed, we moved into the Soho area and back to the start of the longest external escalator in the world, where we’d visited a day or two back.

Leaving the restaurants and bars of Soho behind, we walked back in time to one of the famous Buddhist temples Man Mo.

Man Mo Temple or Man Mo Miu is Cantonese for Wen Wu temple, a temple for the worship of the civil or literature god Man Tai / Man Cheong and the martial god Mo Tai / Kwan Tai. The two gods were popularly patronised by scholars and students seeking progress in their study or ranking in the civil examinations in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

This temple was modest in size, but was full with historic religious items and worshippers, and felt a million miles away from the modern Hong Kong out on the street.

After the walking tour finished, we carried on with our own exploring coming across numerous artefacts on the streets & murals on the buildings.

The murals depicted bar life from the early 20th century, whilst others had famous Hollywood film stars emblazoned across the front, signifying we were on Hollywood Road!

After another busy morning, we took a break with Christine and had an enjoyable coffee stop to watch the local HK people on their day off away from the rigours of work.

Late afternoon we met up with one of Andy’s former work colleagues son, Ali Jessop, who has worked for PWC in Hong Kong for the last 5yrs.

We had arranged to meet at Hong Kong Football Club, which conveniently for us was just a 25min walk along the waterfront from our hotel. It was a great opportunity to take in the views and mingle with the locals as we ebbed our way through the cities shops to the serene private members club at HK FC.

Arriving at the football club was like being back in the UK with familiar English voices and Premier League football games being played on the tv.

We had a really enjoyable afternoon with Ali, Antonia and their son Charlie hearing all about their lives in Hong Kong and how much they have embraced their life on the island.

They were very kind treating us to drinks and dinner, whilst also entertaining young Charlie.

Later that evening we returned to the harbour and had a final meet up with Simen and Julie, our Norwegian friends from the China tour to watch the light show.

The lights across a number of the buildings on the harbour are illuminated and marry up with music played each night at 8pm. It’s a lovely sight and on an epic scale.

After the lighting finale, we met up for drinks with Christine, Simen and Julie and said our final goodbyes before returning to our hotel after another busy day in Hong Kong.

Tomorrow is our final day and we plan to take a trip to Kennedy Town for a more relaxed side of the city and check out the bay views over a coffee and cake!

We decided to keep with the tour group mantra of an early start, despite the China tour having officially ended yesterday, and headed for an 8am breakfast meet up.

Most people from the group have stayed on, like us, for a few extra days to explore Hong Kong.

With so much to see and do, we headed first to the ferry to cross the bay to Hong Kong Island, with a walk through Central (the main shopping area) to the tram station and a near 45 degree ride up to Victoria Peak.

Once across the bay it was a walk up to Victoria Peak tram station, going past the Big Wheel and St John’s Cathedral.

At the top of Victoria Peak the views of the city of Hong Kong were stunning, helped by the return of the sun and clear skies.

We spent an hour or so on the viewing deck taking in the many different vistas, including out to the ocean across the other side of the island.

From there we went for a walk along the hillside, known as the peak circle where you could get in amongst the greenery.

Like other attractions in China, they don’t like to pass up an opportunity to sell the Hong Kong brand, and we decided to get in on the act and on the main stage….!!

On our way down the hill, it was only when we stood up in the tram that we realised just how steep the incline was. Definitely glad we decided not to walk down.

After a decent walk around Central and Soho, we took the world’s longest external escalator back up the hill in search of a suitable place to eat. After failing to find a good Dim Sum restaurant, we opted for the next best thing and pizza!!

After a further tour of the Central area, we returned to our hotel for a quick change before heading out early evening to visit Sky100, the tallest building in Hong Kong where you’ve guessed it the top floor is 100 storeys high!

After travelling 394m in a super fast lift, we found our way to the top floor at Sky100 where we had excellent views across the city and out to Hong Kong island.

Despite Andy’s fear of heights, he managed to get reasonably close to the edge and look out. It’s progress of a sort, and he didn’t sweat quite as much as he’s done up other skyscrapers.

Michelle is a lot braver and was able to take some great pictures of the city below and catch the 8pm light show that occurs each night in the main harbour.

After the dizzy heights up Sky100 with Christine, Simen and Julie we walked back to the centre of the city and on to the harbour for a beer.

On the way we bumped into a lady and her ‘baby’ dogs.

Once at the harbour it was G&T time as we watched the lights over the bay and enjoyed the night air.

We are both getting to like Hong Kong and can definitely see the big attraction of living here, despite the high cost of living. Drinks in HK are 3 or 4 times what we paid anywhere elsewhere in China!

After a busy day walking the streets of Hong Kong and amassing 38,500 steps for the day we returned to our hotel for a well earned rest.

Tomorrow we are off on a walking tour around Central and then on to Hong Kong Football Club for lunch to meet a friend and his family who live and work in the city.

This morning we said goodbye to the beautiful town of Yangshuo and headed to the train station for our final bullet train journey to Hong Kong.

Before leaving we went out for breakfast and came across a local on his moped with his dog.

Life is simple here and laid back, a refreshing reminder that what we had heard about China before visiting wasn’t a true reality.

Once at the train station we had a short wait before we heading to the platform and grabbed a few photos on the last day of our Intrepid tour in China.

On the platform waiting for our final train with a few of the travel group crew.

And here’s the train, and it’s on time!

The journey was c. 4hrs and we travelled along at a steady 300kph through endless tunnels before we reached the start of the urban sprawl as we got close to our final destination.

Entering into Hong Kong has a definite feel of leaving one country and arriving at a new one, with passport checks and arrival forms for HK.

Once we had battled through the numerous passport checks we picked up a taxi for the short trip to the Travel Lodge, Kowloon.

Oddly the Hong Kong taxi’s felt like a step back in time, compared to the modern electric ones we’ve travelled in elsewhere in China, and look to be at least 25-30yrs old & relics of the British rule which ended in 1997.

Once we had briefly settled into our hotel we went out for a final tour group excursion and dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant.

After a pleasant, if unspectacular meal, we walked down to the harbour to the Avenue of the Stars and Symphony of Lights to try and catch the 8pm show. Sadly we were a little late and instead plan to see this spectacular light show another night during our 3 day stay.

The Kowloon part of Hong Kong is one of the oldest and whilst there are still many hotels, shops and restaurants it feels like it’s seen better days and wasn’t quite the Hong Kong hub we had imagined.

The area did start to improve as we walked alongside Kowloon Park and passed the Kowloon Mosque, a stunning and historic landmark on Nathan Road.

As we got to the harbour end of Nathan Street, the area took on a real shine with high end retail stores, new hotels and then the sight of the skyline lit up across the water and the view of Hong Kong Island opposite.

We had a wander around the area alongside the harbour where the Hong Kong Space Museum along with the Museum of Art are located in modern architectural buildings.

Inevitably our eyes were drawn to the skyline and the numerous skyscrapers all lit up.

This is the Hong Kong we had heard about and seen in pictures. It feels like a modern financial city hub which wouldn’t look out of place in Europe or the US.

Sadly this was our last night with our tour group and we celebrated the last 17 days together with a beer on the steps looking out over the water. We had fun reminiscing about the places we’ve visited since meeting in Beijing on the 13th August.

Tomorrow we plan to meet up with the remaining people from our tour group (Laura, Jamie, Christine, Simon and Julie) and visit Victoria Peak and do the Peak Walk before going to the man-made peak at Sky100 Observation Deck for a different view of the city.

This morning’s early wake up was in readiness for a 7am kung fu class in Yangshuo park.

It was an opportunity to focus our body and mind and wow what an incredible experience.

Five members of the tour group, Michelle, Laura, Jamie, Helen and I joined Master Yang for a 90min introduction to the martial arts world.

Ever since watching the cartoon Hong Kong Fuey as children of the 1970’s we’ve wanted to have a try at Kung Fu.

In China, kung fu refers to any study, learning, or practice that requires patience, energy, and time to complete.

In its original meaning, kung fu can refer to any discipline or skill achieved through hard work and practice, not necessarily martial arts. By way of example, the discipline of tea making is called the gongfu tea ceremony.

Each form of kung fu has its own principles and techniques, but is best known for its trickery and quickness.

As we soon learned from our Master, at its heart is the art of balance and the interrelationship of yin and yang. Once these are understood and slowly perfected only then are you able to put kung fu into practice. From our brief lesson we soon learnt that it requires the meeting of the mind and body.

There are 10 different positions that are then duplicated on either side of the body involving stances that are based around animals. These being the water buffalo, snake, horse, chicken, eagle and dragon. The feet follow these animals and the arms in yin and yang.

The yin and yang concept originates in Chinese philosophy, describing an opposite but interconnected, self-perpetuating cycle. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary and at the same time opposing forces that interact to form a dynamic system in which the whole is greater than the assembled parts and the parts are important for cohesion of the whole.

Once we’d appreciated these concepts the moves started to come together, although the Master explained that it may take years to truly develop and evolve!!!

After our workout, we said our goodbyes to the Master and went to watch other groups in the park who like us were working out, doing martial arts, keep fit and dance.

Walking back to the hotel, we went via the local meat & veg market to investigate the foods on offer. There were so many diverse vegetables and every part of a cow, duck, lamb, dog and cat on offer!

After our exercise we dropped into a local coffee shop for a short break, before talking a walk around one of the older villages and surrounding countryside.

Early in the afternoon we dropped into a restaurant for a local delicacy, a root that is jellied and flavoured with fruit. The colour doesn’t do it justice, but the key thing is it’s fat and calorie free and loved by the Chinese to keep themselves cool.

Early evening we went out for our final tour group dinner and headed to a noodle bar to eat with the locals.

Our dinner for two, along with beers, was a steal at just £3 and was both tasty and filling. After almost a month in China we are mastering the use of chopsticks and avoiding spillages by drinking from the bowl when we get to the end, mirroring our tour leader, Kris’s approach.

After the success of the bracelet purchases yesterday, we returned for more with Jamie and Christine. The owner of the shop was kept busy making an extra 8 bracelets!

We also managed to pick up some earrings for Amelia and Meg as a surprise gift when we see them in a weeks time.

Tomorrow we make our final journey of the tour to Hong Kong a 4hr train journey away. The last 17 days have passed by incredibly quickly from our original meeting on the 13th in Beijing. We’ve been lucky to meet some lovely people and make friendships that we are sure will extend beyond the tour.

Keeping with our daily theme, we were up early today for a cycling tour around Guilin, a scenic area famed for its landscape of limestone karst hills.

At its centre are 2 lakes, Shanhu and Ronghu, remaining from a medieval-era moat that once surrounded the city.

Guilin is one of China’s most popular tourist destinations, and has the epithet “By water, by mountains, most lovely, Guilin”.

The topography of the area is marked by karst mountains made of triassic limestone and dolomite rocks. Within the low lying areas sits the Ali River that flows through to the nearby city.

Guilin is a sparkling jewel in China’s crown, luring visitors with its serene countryside, the grandeur of the Li River and the majestic Longji Rice fields.

Alongside the rice fields we came across corn being grown on an extensive scale, inter-dispersed with wild colourful flowers.

Chinese people come all the way to Guilin just to have their wedding photos taken in one of the most beautiful places in the whole of China.

Our cycle ride proved relatively easy going and kept to the flat lands adjacent to the River Li, where we were able to watch Chinese tourists on the bamboo flat boats.

The bamboo boats travel through the various inland lakes into the river.

On Shanhu Lake’s shore we came across twin pagodas, the Sun and Moon, which we were told light up the sky at night.

Once back on the bikes we found ourselves having to stop every few minutes to take in the wild colourful flowers along the paths.

Our group of 12 catered to all levels of cycling so it proved a little stop and start, with a few people getting back onto a bike for the first time In decades!

At every turn there was an opportunity for a scenic photo and a few extra moments helped by instagram hungry visitors.

Our cycle ride took us along the river front for nearly two hours taking in the stunning views alongside the water and the odd water buffalo that stood in the neighbouring field.

As the cycling tour neared its end we came across the widest part of the River Li where locals were sitting out either on the river side or in some makeshift cafes that have sprung up as the tourist numbers have grown.

The scenery was so reminiscent of Vietnam in terms of what we saw in Ninh Binh and also Cat Ba Island with the dramatic limestone karst hills as far as the eye could see.

By early afternoon we found our way to Moon Hill with a natural arch through it, located a few km outside of Yangshuo.

It is so named for a wide, semicircular hole through the hill, all that remains of what was once a limestone cave formed in the phreatic period. Like most formations in the region, it is formed out of karst and is a popular tourist attraction to climb.

The climb was supposed to take roughly 45mins up and down and as soon as we started we realised just how steep the climb was going to be.

We didn’t help ourselves by taking an extended route, adding an additional climb at the midway point. This provided great additional views, but at the cost of another 250 steps up a steep summit.

Once we got back on the path and reached the top of Moon Hill, all was forgotten and we took in the broad panoramic views of the surrounding countryside, characterised by the knobby karst hills found throughout the region.

After a strenuous workout, our afternoon was a more relaxed affair.

Early evening we decided to go off just the two of us, whilst the rest of the group went to a paying light show, and went in search of a memento from our time in China.

As we have done in other countries we purchased a small bracelet.

After finding a store that sold a Cinnabar bracelet that we liked, they kindly made a second one for Andy as his wrist is larger than that of the normal Chinese tourists!

With the purchases made, we left with our matching bracelets and headed to a nearby bar and relaxed with a beer and a G&T and took in the sights as people walked by.

Tomorrow we have yet another early morning with a 7am kung fu beginners class in the park followed by a Chinese massage in the afternoon. Sadly this will be our last day in Yangshuo before we pick up our final bullet train that takes us to Hong Kong and our end destination for this tour.

Another travel day, another bullet train ride. This time we are journeying 5hrs from Chongqing to Yangshou, a distance of over 1,250km.

After an initial 45min coach drive from our Yangtze River boat to Chongqing train station, we had an hour or so to kick around before boarding our train.

Chongqing train station like others we’ve visited in China is on a huge scale and has more of an airport feel to it, than that of a train station. Entering requires you to show your passport and again when you board the train.

As to the station itself it’s ultramodern and puts the UK train station system to shame. They have lots of restaurants for all tastes, Chinese and western and provide clean well kept toilets and cleaning facilities despite catering for tens of thousands of passengers every day.

Navigating our way around the station is helped by having all signs in Chinese and English, which was a pleasant surprise when we first visited.

The seating areas are vast and again modern and comfortable with plenty of room to stretch out with luggage. Like the English the Chinese love to queue, but perhaps are a little more forceful when moving themselves forward, so our guide made sure we were always in position a good 15mins before the train was due to arrive.

Once on the platform the trains have all been on time and like the stations, are modern and comfortable, as well as fast. Today’s achieved a cruising speed of 275km which is no mean feat when you consider the number of mountains we went through and the sheer number of tunnels they’ve had to dig. It’s a colossal achievement and makes getting around the country very accessible for all.

After 5hrs on the train, we were well read, fed and watered and ready to explore the wonderful landscapes in and around Yangshuo.

We managed to get a quick photo of our train before we departed which illustrates how modern and aerodynamic their trains are.

The one hour drive to our hotel took us through the most amazing landscape, reminiscent of Ha Lang Bay and Ninh Binh in Vietnam, with steep mountains jutting up into the sky. The scale of the mountain range is immense and continued all the way to our hotel in central Yangshuo.

This part of China was until very recently agricultural dependent and as a result poor in relation to the rest of the country.

This all changed in the 1980s, when the area became popular with foreign backpackers and organized tours began by the late 1990s. At the time, domestic tourists represented only a small fraction of the county’s visitors, but they soon outnumbered foreign tourists by 2000.

The influx of tourists and wealthy Chinese has seen living standards significantly improve, along side this the introduction of the bullet trains, has enabled their fruit and veg production to reach the whole of the country increasing production and jobs.

This said, the area still feels a little impoverished. There are however signs this is changing with the most notable being the opening of an upmarket shopping centre with Nike, Hugo Boss and Armani all due to arrive in the coming months.

After checking into our pleasant hotel, we went out with our tour group to explore the city. We visited an area aptly named West Street, after the influx of western travellers who have enabled the local economy to shift towards tourism away from farming.

Yangshuo, is a resort town and is known for its dramatic karst mountain landscape and outdoor recreation. The town is set amid pinnacles like Bilian Feng (Green Lotus Peak), which has a hiking trail to the top.

Tour boats offer cruises on the Li River past picturesque countryside from the town of Guilin to the north.

The pedestrianised street was awash with local Chinese and lots of tourist shops selling their wares. It’s interesting to see how far they have come in such a relatively short period, with the introduction of American culture in the form of KFC and McDonalds.

West Street has a great stretch of bars and restaurants, all are colourful and make for an appealing lineup.

We walked down the street to where it met the river and spied a few of the younger locals in traditional dress ready to be photographed.

The views out over the Li River were stunning, framed by the steep mountains and close up by local fishermen going about their business as they have done for hundreds of years.

After our walking tour of West Street we headed to a restaurant that our guide recommended with a group of our tour crew.

After a delicious and filling dinner, we were all feeling a little fatigued after our day of travel, so wisely we choose to head back to our hotel and bypass the souvenir stalls for another night!

By 9pm the centre was becoming very busy with all the locals and Chinese tourists out and about enjoying their evenings.

Tomorrow we continue with our early rises and a 7.30am cycling tour around the countryside before it gets too hot. We are looking forward to visiting Guilin and getting up close to the paddy fields and the beautiful flowers that grow along the Yulong River.

Last full day on our boat cruise along the Yangtze River.

This morning we moored up at Fengdu and headed off on a tour of the Snowy Jade caves close by.

Our coach trip with a group of Chinese tourists proved interesting as their guide proceeded to talk nonstop for over 30mins without taking a breath and more importantly without translating a word into English.

When we eventually arrived we were treated to more stunning mountain view’s at the entrance to the famous caves.

Before going inside we had to walk past a small monkey sanctuary sitting alongside the cave entry point.

Here there were a large family of young and old monkeys eating, drinking & playing as we walked by.

The monkeys were extremely agile and were hanging off a small rope that sat over a large drop to the river below. Despite this we saw them pushing and pulling each other for a better spot to chew on the pumpkins tied upside down.

We also caught a young baby monkey going solo and entertaining us with his hide and seek game as we watched on.

The caves are 1,644m in length and comprise six scenic areas. Due to erosion in the surrounding karst landscape the caves are growing at a faster rate than anywhere else in China.

Snowy Jade Cave is spread over three levels and includes the 8m Stone King’s Flag and the 4m high Stone King’s Shield features that are the largest of their type in the world.

The range of stalagmites and stalactites was incredible, notably the pure white jade looking rock formations.

The shapes and colours created within the caves were so diverse and made our visit more interesting, despite not being able to understand/hear much of what our guide was talking about due to technical/translation difficulties!!

The tour around the cave helped to get us back into some level of fitness, as we walked up and down the cave system, passed over twenty different points of interest.

The formations of the rocks that continue to grow at fast (35cm per century!), make for the most impressive shapes and colours, mostly white in this cave and really capture your imagination.

We’ve been fortunate to see a number of cave systems through our recent travels, notably in Vietnam and felt that the Chinese were some of the prettiest, if not the largest and helped with the nicknames they’ve been given, such as iceberg and pigs ear as you’ll see from the photos below.

It’s fair to say some of the weird shapes that have been created don’t seem possible even in nature and look almost artificial.

After an enormously enjoyable morning cave exploring, we returned to the boat and we continued our journey along the river.

Tonights stopping point is Chongqing, the biggest city in China at over 20 million and the final destination on our boat tour.

Tomorrow we leave after breakfast and head via 1hr bus journey, 5hr bullet train and finally another 1hr coach to Yangshuo our last but one stopping point before we arrive at our final destination Hong Kong in 4 days time.