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Yangshuo's karst scenery is supposed to be better than Guilin. But Guilin is where most tourists go to take the river cruise down towards Yangshuo. The highlights of the cruise are closer to Yangshuo than Guilin. But the Li River crusie does not start from either Yangshuo or Guilin. A fairly long bus ride to their respective embarking points is needed from either Guilin or Yangshuo. The crusie from Guilin is more than twice as expensive (500 yuan) and much longer but is officially licensed. The cruise from Yangshuo reuquires a bus trip over very bumpy roads and the boat tour is illegal. Yangshuo karst landscape is better appreciated from the air than from the boat. Taking photos with a camera from the boat is like trying to swallow a big elephant with one's tiny mouth. The occasional rain drizzles presented very flattering lighting conditions. But the water turned muddy with too much rain. Cormorant fishing was impossible because the fish-diving birds could not see where they were going in the muddy water.
Zhangjiajie is located in the northwest corner of Hunan. Very spectacular heavily-weathered sandstone landscape often spoiled by poor visibility. Even the DVD on Zhangjiajie does not show better visibility. The airport at Zhangjiajie is not equipped to handle volume traffic. But the area offers many scenic spots. I enjoyed the white-water rafting trip down a very scenic but heavily-littered river. Even the people whose livelihood depends on preserving the pristine conditions of the river littered at will.
K. K. Fung
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