Kevin and Lily…at home

I can’t believe it’s been a week since we’ve been home. And even though I’m totally relishing in the fact that I have a clean and comfortable bed to sleep in every night, there’s a lot of mixed feelings stirring around inside of me.

On the one hand, the time we’ve been able to spend with family and friends since we’ve been back has been amazing. The warm fuzzy feeling of coming home never gets old. And it’s funny. Even on our way home from the airport, it felt like we’d never left. On the other hand, things seem slightly different and unfamiliar than how we remembered it to be. For starters, since the time we’ve been gone, my mom has learned how to use the computer and go online. Like today, she spent a few hours in the afternoon streaming China’s Got Talent. Hrm. Then there’s our hardworking friends. Not only is everyone working really hard at advancing their careers, carefree attitudes towards life are replaced with ambitious goals to own a home. Hrm. But I suppose we all have to grow up some time.

5 months may not be long in the grand scheme of things, but it definitely gives you plenty of time to experience eye-opening situations and environments. I’ve found that travelling to less developed countries is this weird dichotomy of feeling really appreciative and grateful of what you have back home, but at the same time, being able to gain so much perspective and knowledge from these different cultures and people. I really think that there’s a lot to gain from extended travelling, and if time/life permits, go out there and explore the world. See life from a different light.

Although Kevin and Lily won’t be in transit much in the immediate future, we just wanted to say thanks to our friends and family who have checked up on us through our blog to make sure we were okay. Your encouraging messages and thoughts meant a lot to us. We hope you were able to live vicariously through our (mis)adventures. 

Until next time, happy travels and enjoy the journey. 

Kevin and Lily in transit

Familiar in the unfamiliar and vice versa

We spent our last few days in Thailand in Phuket. FYI: it’s pronounced poo-ket. Ahem. By now, this is our third time in this city, and it’s funny how things can feel so familiar in such an unfamiliar place.  We have become unfazed by the motorbike taxi drivers hollering, we know where to go for a comforting bowl of noodle soup, and we can even navigate through the traffic and streets quite well on our own motorbike.

Oddly enough, the opposite has also happened – the unfamiliar in the familiar. We’re at the airport right now, waiting to board our flight. Since we’re going back to a country (China) where it’s not summer all year round, it’s necessary for me to put on the layers. Who would have thought that after 6 weeks of giving my legs and feet freedom to breathe that pants and shoes would feel so restricting and odd? The upside is that there won’t be any blood-sucking mosquitos once we get on that plane.

There’s only a few hours left before our flight leaves Thailand, the land of smiles. And although I’m sad that we won’t be back anytime in the foreseeable future, South East Asia 2.0 has been a blast. I’m definitely very grateful for all the things we’ve been able to do, the food we’ve been able to eat, and the people we’ve met along the way. I know we can’t be on vacation forever, and there’s even a small part of me that’s somewhat excited to get back to work. Working definitely makes you more appreciative of having time off, and the money’s not bad either.  I think a sure sign of how you know your expenses are running dry is when you need to gather up all our foreign currencies you’ve accumulated to see how much you have for food that day. We must have provided the currency exchange guy much excitement when we showed up with our Cambodian riels, Loas kips, Indonesian rupiahs, Philippino pesos, Vietnamese dongs, and some US dollars just for kicks. 

We still have almost an hour before we board. It’s 1 AM right now, believe it or not. We haven’t left the country yet but it feels like we’re already transitioning into China. There’s a murmur of Mandarin all around us, and the Duty Free shop is jammed pack with Chinese tourists taking advantage of the tobacco and alcohol deals. We’re gonna be stopping over in Shanghai for a few hours, but that gives us just enough time to head into town and get our favourite pan fried buns. Then it’s back to Beijing for the final countdown.  

It's been a blast South East Asia. So long, and thanks for all the fish!

Sail Rock, Similan Islands - Thailand

The forbidden fruit

I have a confession to make. For the past three days Kevin and I have spoiled ourselves with some serious indulgence at a fancy 5-star hotel. It definitely wasn’t in our shoestring travel plans, but those Groupon deals can be oh so tempting.

We decided to save some money by walking it into the resort grounds from where the bus dropped us off. But almost 2 km later, with our packs getting heavier and our shirts getting sweatier with each step we took, we finally made it to the hotel. As soon as we stepped through the glass doors that were opened for us by two smiling Thai staff, I could feel my stress (and sweat) slipping away. From reading on the beach, to swimming around the hotel in their 3 km long pool, to getting massages at night we had plenty of things to keep us occupied that we didn’t leave the resort grounds for the entire time we were there. And if that wasn’t enough to get you going, the buffet breakfasts were definitely a great start to your day. Just ask Kevin and all the bacon he stuffed himself silly with. Yes, the forbidden fruit of luxury is mouth-wateringly delicious .

Even though we’ve checked out of our five-star and checked into a windowless room in town, we’re happy to be experiencing what is outside those perfectly white walls of the resort. As fabulous as our stay at the resort was, it’s scary to think that some people really do just come to Thailand to stay at a place like that for the entire time and feel like they’ve “experienced” the country.

We’ll be staying in the town of Khao Lak for the next couple nights where most people use this place as a starting point to visit the Similan Islands.  The Similans are a group of nine islands to the west of here, and it’s considered by many as one of the best places in Thailand to see an abundance of marine and wildlife. We’re super excited to go snorkeling there tomorrow, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that a sea turtle will want to grace us with its presence.  

Kevin's so impressed he's donned a robe

A 3 km long pool that winds itself around the rooms 

Infinity poolside at sunset

Big city hopping

The last few days we have spent running around the concrete jungles of Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. With not a lot of time, and too many things to see and eat, we tried to pack in as much as we could.

In Singapore, there was a day where we started off in Chinatown, walked over to Arab Street, perused around in Little India, and ended the night in Singapore’s version of a red light district for some tasty late night treats…and by treats I mean local food…and by food I mean delectable dishes.

This wasn’t the first for Kevin and I to be in Singapore since Kevin did a semester of exchange there back in 2006, and of course I took the opportunity to visit him while I was doing my exchange in Hong Kong. However, this time around, it was a much different place than how we remembered it.  A lot has changed in the six years since Kevin was first there. Our “ancient” metro cards didn’t work anymore, Kevin’s favourite food dig was closed for reno, and even the skyline was totally different. I suppose six years is a long time to be away from such a rapidly developing island state like Singapore.  It was nostalgic and unfamiliar at the same time.

A new addition to the Singaporean skyline - Marina Bay Sands: a mall/theatre/casino/hotel extravaganza!

 

The food tour didn’t stop in Singapore, oh no. KL had lots of tasty dishes it were proud to call its own. While there, we were able to meet up with some friends that we haven’t seen in many years. Friends that we met while we were students, are now all grown up and working in the big cities. It made me excited to go home to start my career, but also made me want to run away from the rat race for as long as I can.

No trip to KL is complete without a visit to the famous Petronas Twin Towers

We’re done with the big cities for a while, as our hearts are longing for the sun and beach again. We’re back in Thailand to give some new places a go. We’re hoping to find some new hidden gems waiting for us in its clear turquoise waters. 

In search of the dove

We’ve spent the last week in the big mixed salad bowl of Indonesia. Even though it’s a mostly Muslim country, there are a myriad of other cultures, languages, and ethnicities. It was hard to put my finger on what Indonesian culture really was, but it was fun to see, taste, and experience the variety.

Our visit commenced with a familiar and friendly face. Martin, a friend whom we met in Vancouver, just so happened to be in Jakarta during the time that we were visiting.  We had the luxury of being picked up at the airport instead of having to navigate ourselves through the sea of hungry touts at the arrivals gate. Correction - as we found out soon enough, we were greeted by Martin, but actually picked up by his driver! Martin, why did you pretend to be a lowly student in Vancouver when you have your own personal driver at home? We didn’t have any plans for our time in Jakarta so we were perfectly content tagging along with Martin while he ran his errands, but also seeing some sights, and tasting some local dishes along the way. It was a really nice way to experience a new place and to see Martin interact with his family and be in his natural environment.

Seeing Martin so comfortable and happy at home was a nice change of perspective to the travellers whom we’ve met throughout our trip. Usually, the people who you meet while travelling are those who are in search of something different. Whether it’s a new country, a new experience, or the next big adventure, they (and us included) are always looking for something new and stimulating. But I think that sometimes, what you really need, is to be surrounded by the familiar.  Martin told us that in Indonesia, the national pastime is taking care of birds. There are all sorts of bird competitions where owners take their prized pets out for showcase. There’s one competition where they set the male dove free to see how far and fast it can fly. In the end though, the male dove always flies back to the female dove no matter how far he flies. Maybe it takes some travelling around the world to realize that home is really where the heart is. 

Enjoying dinner with the Lesmana family - Jakarta, Indonesia

Finding ourselves in an unexpected adventure - Bali, Indonesia

Past Present Future

Past

I can’t believe our two week stay in the Philippines is already up. We seriously wish we had more time to see more and do more things in this beautiful country, but surprisingly, we’re running out of time.  But during our time here, we definitely tried to get some quality beach time in with some spectacular snorkeling.

Most of our beach and water activities took place around the islands of El Nido, where mother nature seemed to have been allowed to have her imagination run wild. There’s so much wildlife here and the landscape is just jaw dropping. I won’t bore you with the details because a picture says a thousand words.

Las Cabanas Beach - Got there on the first day in time for the sunset

Seven Commandos Beach - There was no one there but us

Secret Lagoon Beach - Karst mountains as the backdrop add to the magic

Secret Lagoon Beach - The view as we had lunch on the beach

We left the Philippines reluctantly, but we already have plans to come back to continue our exploring here.

Present

We’re now sitting in the airport in Singapore, and it makes me sigh with relief being here because everything is so clean and comfortable and accessible. 24 hour food places? Check. Plenty of comfortable seating? Check. Free wireless internet? Check. Anything and everything that makes a 6 hour stopover comfortable? Check check…and check.

Future

We’re headed to Jakarta, Indonesia next, where we found out last minute that a friend will be there at the same time as us! I suppose that’s a good reason to leave the Singapore airport.  We won’t be in Indonesia for too long though, but hopefully we’ll be able to climb some volcanoes while we’re there. 

Reason #660 NOT to take the boat in the Philippines

You don’t  know when or if you’ll make it.

Kevin and I are spending the day today recovering from the traumatic boat ride that took us from El Nido to Coron. The whole thing was a two-day ordeal starting on Sunday when we were supposed to take off, until the glorious moment we finally arrived on land last night (Monday). We were supposed to leave El Nido on Sunday morning on a ferry bound for Coron. We thought it was a good day to travel since it was cloudy and there was no a/c on the boat.  After about an hour, the waves started crashing in and the boat was rocking feverishly from side to side. The boat crew, where the oldest person was around 18, started hammering up pieces of plywood and fastening tarp to block out the water that was gushing in. The engine died a few times and we were still nowhere close to or destination. After about 4 hours of being thrashed around in the waves, the crew decided that the best thing to do was to head back to El Nido. It took another 2 hours to get back. So, that was attempt number 1. It wasn’t until the next day when we found out that there was actually a huge hole (about 1 metre squared) on the front of the boat where water was actually gushing into the inside of the boat. Apparently, the woman that was from that boat company was quoted saying, “It would have been better if the boat had sank. At least we could have claimed insurance for it.”  

The next day, attempt number 2, we boarded a slightly different boat to try to get to Coron again. This time, the boat was slightly bigger, the crew was older, and there was no sign of any plywood lying around. The first couple hours were actually quite nice as we sailed past all the different islands around us. But it wasn’t long until the angry waves came and we found ourselves once again at the mercy of the ocean. Even though this boat was slightly in better shape than the last one, it still really isn’t in any condition to ferry around 50 people for 8 hours over these rough waters. It wasn’t the fact that there were no real seats – there were two rows of long benches facing each other. Nor was it the fact that when they said “buffet lunch” will be served on the boat, they meant a chicken wing and a scoop of dry rice. It was the indefinite arrival time that could drive any sane person crazy. Only once did the crew inform us of when we would arrive, which turned out to be twice as long in reality. It was supposed to be an eight hour trip, but eight turned into nine, and nine tuned into ten. And finally, after 11 gruelling hours out in the ocean on a little fishing boat, we finally arrived…alive.

Moral of the story: When in the Philippines, FLY! 

Reason #660: For all 660 hours we were tossed around at sea

"It's more fun in the Philippines!"

We have arrived in the Philippines! Now, now, I know what you’re thinking…you thought Beijing was our last leg, right? Yeah, we did too. Until we decided that with still some money left in the account, why not go for round 2? So, we did. We were in the bustling capital of Manila for a couple of days before we headed north to the rice terraces of Banaue. And here we are now, surrounded by the lush green rice terraces, instead of the smog-ridden city of Beijing.  

These terraces were built by the native Ifuago people more than two thousand years ago, and it was nice to see that the people there today still used the same land and pretty much the same techniques as their ancestors to plant and harvest the rice. As we hiked through the enormous terraces and saw the farmers out there sweating under the hot sun, you can’t help but feel more appreciative of each grain of rice that is in your bowl. The village people here lead a very simple life. They farm, they tend to the family, and they always have time in between to have a few laughs with family and friends. We passed by a house in the village where an old man was squatting effortlessly in front of his house. He was missing all but one tooth, but seemed quite energetic and aware. It wasn’t until we were heading off that we found out that he was 95 years young.

But now we’ve had our fill of green rice terraces, and we’re heading off to the south where the thousands of islands of the Philippines await. One of the first things I saw right before we landed on the tarmac in Manila was a sign that said, “It’s more fun in the Philippines!” We’re definitely ready to put that statement to the test. Although we won’t have time to see all 7,107 islands of the country, we will definitely try our best to find our little slice of paradise under the sun.

The amazing rice terraces of Banaue

Featuring...us!

My secret dream of having our blog transformed into a book and then possibly a movie, is one step closer to reality. Okay, fine…it’s not quit there at all, but we were featured in a travel blog! Michael, a guy I met on my first day in Japan started up this blog called Travel Sex Life. (Because really, what is life without the first two?) He asked us if we would like to be featured on the blog as a guest blogger, and we agreed. We did an interview with him, which was quite fun as it got us reflecting back on some of the experiences we’ve had.

Check out our interview here!

 http://www.travelsexlife.com/2012/02/kevin-lily-on-sex-and-romance-on-the-road/#more-754

100 days...and counting

Today marks the 100^th day of travelling for Kevin and I! There have been highs and there have definitely been lows. Who ever said travelling (especially with some one) was easy? 100 days of travelling means enduring over 3 months of grungy hostels, infinite bug bites, getting scammed, and doing all-nighters in trains, buses and airports. But, it does make the beautiful sunsets, remarkable people you meet, and everlasting memories that much sweeter.

So, how do we prevent ourselves from wringing each other’s necks? Here’s goes my list of cheesy one-liners…but I really do believe in them.  

1.       Be able to laugh at each other’s and your own mistakes.

2.       Be flexible – with your travel plans and with each other.

3.       Don’t worry so much – it’ll all work out.

4.       Don’t be afraid to break the rules a little bit.

5.       It really is about the journey, not the destination. Sounds cliché, but it’s true.  

(Of course when I asked Kevin what he thought, he bluntly stated that it’s important to spend time away from each other. That's my Prince Charming).

In China, when a baby turns 100 days, it’s a big celebration because it’s supposed to represent the wish that the baby will live 100 years. It’s a big family affair that involves lots of food. In a way, it’s similar to what my wishes are for us in the future. A life where we can love, travel, and eat good food together for many years to come.  After all, isn’t that what life is all about?

Driving into the most spectacular sunset - Mui Ne, Vietnam

Strength in numbers

We are in the ancient capital city of Xi’an. After a couple of weeks of just chilling in Beijing, we decided it was time to hit the road again, so we hopped on a plane for a couple of hours and arrived at this walled city. Although the historical pagodas and towers still stand tall and unwavering as it did in the past, the city has also seen its fair share of Starbucks and Zara’s pop up in the last few years. Not that I’m complaining, as it does convenience things a lot…especially as I’m taking advantage of Starbuck’s free wi-fi as I type this.

We went to visit the Terracotta Army yesterday, which is about an hour west of the city. The site is one of many, but the largest to date, of terracotta sculptures unearthed in the area. These sculpted army warriors, horses, and chariots were buried with China’s first emperor to protect him in his afterlife. It’s hard not to be impressed with just the sheer size of the pit where these loyal soldiers have stood for over 2000 years. Then you dig a little deeper (pun intended) and realize the meticulous and intricate craftsmanship that went in to creating something as massive as this many millennia ago. In fact, there are no two soldiers that are identical. From there facial features to their weapons, even the tread on the back of their shoes are one of a kind.

Perhaps what the emperor saw for China in the distant future was what he surrounded himself with during and after his reign. From what we have seen and experienced in our time in this country, this is a place where power and money is exuded merely from the sheer size of its population. As small villages turn into burgeoning cities, buildings get taller and the lights flashier. Its economic influence on the world continues to play a crucial role in the world albeit certain basic rights the country turns a blind eye to. Kevin and I have been very impressed with some things we have seen here, and equally disenchanted with others. Maybe this is what happens when a country as large as this tries to develop too quickly at one end, and forgets to build vital foundations in other respects.

The pit is so big it is housed in an airplane hanger sized area

A more up close and personal look

Chilling in Beijing

I apologize to my legions of fans for not keeping you all in the loop the last few days.  It’s hard to remember to blog when I feel like we’re at home, and there hasn’t been anything really strange/stressful/problematic to write about. Things have been quite smooth and worry-free, and we’re definitely not complaining. But do not fret, there’s a long post coming up.

We’ve been swallowing up the Chinese New Year festivities since arriving here. Just like the twelve days of Christmas, there are the fifteen days of Chinese New Year, with festivities starting on the eve of the New Year and special customs and traditions that are followed on each subsequent day, until the fifteenth day. Most of the traditions inevitably involve food, and of course Kevin and I have partaken in these celebrations as much as our stomachs will allow. We’ve sampled some pretty “interesting” things as well as cooking/eating  a homemade seafood feast that went from noon to 4PM.

Since we’re not in a rush to get to our next destination, we’ve either been led around by family to some nice places around the city, or exploring on our own slow pace. Today for example, we spent a good part of the day walking down this historic street where we sampled four different types of yogurt at four different shops. We haven’t spent too much time wandering outside though, because like the title suggests, it’s literally very chilly in Beijing. Being the northern most city we’ve been to since leaving Toronto, we’ve also had to pack on the layers in order to stay warm.

The cold weather hasn’t deterred people from setting fireworks though, which is an essential part of New Year celebrations. Traditionally, fireworks are set off to scare off evil spirits and bad luck so that the New Year can start afresh.  These days, it seems more like an excuse to set off gigantic sticks, scratch that – gigantic crates of fireworks that would make Canadian Health and Safety personnel lose their jobs. On NYE, when it’s almost midnight, neighbourhoods all over China set off super powerful firecrackers that set off car alarms. These firecrackers aren’t set off in open area parks, instead their placed in the middle of the road and the sparks bounce off the walls of apartment buildings. Meanwhile, empty firecracker shells whiz by your body and fragments fall into your hair. Sounds dangerous? Yeah, just a little. You look around and it’s like a war zone. There are BOOMS and BANGS going off everywhere, leaving the streets smoky and misty, as well as littered with debris. It’s all fun and games until someone looses an eye. So far so good though.

Happy Chinese New Year! Hope the year of the dragon brings everyone health, happiness, and prosperity!

Boxes of firecrackers ready to be set off

Firecracker war zone street

Too close for comfort in the balcony section

Sunny Suzhou

They say Suzhou (which is a city about 100 km east of Shanghai) is home to China’s most beautiful women. Although we were not able to prove said statement was true, we were treated to some of the best weather we’ve seen in China so far.

After a somewhat stressful last day in Hangzhou, we arrived in Suzhou looking forward to visiting some of the parks and gardens that the city is known for. The first morning in Suzhou, we stepped out of our hostel, not into a puddle, but into what is deemed to be “clear” skies in China. There were even parts of the day where we could see blueish sky. We got a late start to the day after sleeping in, and after feeding ourselves along the lively pedestrian streets, we headed to the biggest and considered by many to be the most impressive garden in Suzhou. We were quite camera happy as we strolled around the garden, even stopping to set up the tripod along the way.

The Humble Administrator's Garden, biggest garden in Suzhou

 Our nights in Suzhou were spent at our hostel café, where over a pot of tea, Kevin and would challenge each other to games of Gomoku. It’s a game that uses similar black and white stones and game board like Othello, but it’s kind of played like Connect Four, except you have to get five in a row. In other words, it’s Connect Four Plus One More. No, I didn’t come up with that, but it’s quite catchy. Although Kevin fought quite hard, it was still 3-0 for me after our three-night battle. But who’s counting?

We’re heading back to Shanghai tomorrow, but only for a very brief stopover before we board the plane to Beijing! I can’t believe we’re finally going to Beijing. We’ve known all along that we’ll be in Beijing for Chinese New Year, but thinking about that at the beginning of November seemed like it was eons away. And now that our tickets are purchased, and we’re leaving tomorrow, it seems much more real. A little sad too in a way, since that means our trip is on its last legs. But there’s no point in dwelling on that just yet. Our return tickets back to reality still aren’t booked, and I’m pretty content on having our heads up in our travelling clouds for a bit longer. 

Friends

The last three days of our Shanghai stint was made even more memorable because of the good food and conversation we shared with friends from across the ocean. We met up with Michael and Sainan after their trip to Sainan's home town. We knew that they would be in Shanghai from Jan. 8 to 11 way before, but because our plans were so unpredictable, we weren't sure if we'd be able to meet up with them. Luckily, it all worked out in the end and we spent three days doing a lot of walking, chatting, and of course eating.

Kevin enjoyed having an outlet to talk about his tech and research topics to someone who actually understood (thanks, Mike!), while I had someone to ooh and ahh at sights with me and talk about girly stuff. And we were both thoroughly ecstatic to have a Chinese speaker AND reader (thanks, Sainan!). Walking around the city was like the good ol' days when the four of us would go for weekend trips to somewhere, and the highlight our days would be the food. Except this time, we were on the other side of the world, speaking a different language. We're not sure when we'll see Mike and Sainan again...but a little birdie told me that it'll be sometime in August...this time in Toronto.


Kevin and Lily in transit is nice, but meeting friends along the way is icing on the cake. 

The gang at The Bund, Shanghai

 

Sleeping in the PVG

We arrived at Guilin’s airport around 9PM with plenty of time before we boarded our fight to Shanghai at almost midnight. The flight was packed and quite uneventful except for the exercises that the flight attendants led at the end of the flight. I felt like I was partaking in those early morning tai chi sessions in the parks in China.

By the time we landed and got our luggage, it was already 2AM. The taxi ride into the city would take another hour or so and about $30. So, we went from flying at 30, 000 feet to a new low – we slept at the PVG, which stands for Pudong International Airport in Shanghai.  Actually, it was more like we napped at a Burger King (which we read from previous research was a good place to crash since it’s open 24 hours and has wifi). When we got to the Burger King, we realized that lots more people had discovered our secret. Almost all the benches were already taken up with people on laptops, sleeping, or eating.  We had to settle for a hard bench and set up camp there. You should have seen us, we were definitely a sight for sore eyes. We slept hugging our big packs, while our smaller bags were strapped around our ankles or wrists, and using whatever layers we weren’t wearing, we used those to cover our bodies.

I couldn’t believe it, but I actually fell asleep. It wasn’t until Kevin nudged me awake to tell me that the security had come around telling people to leave if they weren’t eating anything. I looked at my watch – it was 5AM. Only another hour and a half before the metro starts running. When the time finally came, and we pulled away from the airport on the metro, it was great to see some sun shining through the morning mist. We hadn’t seen any sun for at least three weeks.  Good morning, Shanghai! It’s nice to meet you.

Kevin sleeping in style

Rain rain go away

We've been in Yangshuo for the last 4 days, thinking that we were gonna spend a few days here relaxing and cycling around the town taking in the sights of the mountains and the river. Well we definitely got top scores for relaxing, but in terms of seeing the sights, we couldn't see any of it because of the looming cloud and fog that was ever present.

On our second day we decided to take a boat ride down the famous Li River. The scenery here is so famous that it's on the back of the 20 RMB bill. However, as we set out that day, we knew we wouldn't see much since it was raining and super foggy. We were let off at one point to take photos. The guys there tried to get us to buy photos that could be develop right away, but we took a look at the "beautiful" background and chuckled.

This is what it could look like:

This is what we saw that day:

But our time in Yangshuo was still enjoyable in that the food here was quite satisfying. Rice noodles are their speciality here, and we definitely ate ourselves silly with it. It's hard to resist when it's so cheap, and the 24 hour place right next to our hotel was uber convenient. Kevin also found his favourite post-meal place. A bakery that made really yummy egg tarts. So, even though we're leaving Yangshuo with our eyes wanting to see more, our full bellies are leaving satisfied.