Back to China Index Page
<< Day 11: Lijiang—“Impression: Lijiang” Show | Day 13: Chao Long, Peaceful Tranquility >>
Chao Long, Just What the Doctor Ordered
The rural community of Chao Long proved to be the perfect place to recuperate from my stomach ailments, as well as to recharge the entire family. We had absorbed and learned so much during our time in China, and our sensory input levels were full. Like a large basin of water slowly spiraling down a narrow drain, we needed to sit for a while and let all of the new information and experiences sink in.
Chao Long is a mere 2 ½ miles from the city of Yangshuo, and about 45 miles south of the city of Guilin. When planning our trip, we were drawn to this area by pictures of the mysterious-looking “gumdrop” mountains. We just had to see them for ourselves.
We were not disappointed—here is a view of the mountains near our inn.
When researching places to stay, I stumbled across the website for Yangshuo Outside Inn—and I immediately knew that this was the place for us.
The Inn offers rooms in renovated mud brick farmhouses that once were inhabited by residents of the Chao Long village. In 2002 the main road running by Chao Long had been paved, and many residents had moved to new homes along the paved road. The Dutch owner of Outside Inn had found the abandoned homes while bicycling through the region, and he was able to negotiate a lease that allowed him to transform the homes into an inn (through much hard work and renovations).
For four nights, we stayed in the quaint house known as “Helen’s House.” It consisted of an entryway and bathroom in the middle, with a bedroom on each side of the entryway. The rooms were equipped with mosquito nets, and the children had bunk beds. The house was perfect for us.
The outside of Helen’s House, showing the windows to both of our rooms:
The children’s room:
The adults’ room:
Looking down the walkway toward the other rooms/houses at the inn:
Genevieve and Sebastian were ecstatic to find a play area with a large bin of legos, one of their favorite toys.
And they learned how to play ping pong:
For me, the best part about the Inn was the location—right in the midst of the karst hills, with farmlands all around, and a slow pace of life that that imposed no demands. Just breathe.
After all of our sightseeing activities lately, the Chao Long community provided the refreshing balance that we needed in our journey.
During our stroll to the nearby Yulong River, we saw the local people going about their daily lives, without anyone trying to cater to us as “tourists.” Next to the Inn, a woman with a hand saw was clearing a large clump of bamboo.
Some of the bamboo stalks were huge.
Here are the kids and I on the narrow dirt lane that leads to the main road. (Notice how Sebastian is giving Genevieve a big--albeit unwanted--hug.)
Laundry was hung out to dry in front of this small home:
Bamboo rafts were stretched out beneath some trees, and we wondered what technique the builders had used to curve the ends of the rigid bamboo stalks upward.
We crossed the paved road, where the newer homes were located.
On the other side, the dirt lane continued toward the river.
Our path wound through some crop fields.
We were fascinated by one woman who dipped two buckets into a stream, balanced them on a pole against her shoulders, and then carried the heavy load back to her plants, at a brisk pace.
Genevieve and Sebastian were our explorer scouts, leading the way:
One small fire was sending huge billows of white smoke into the air. A woman was raking dead piles of brush and feeding them to the hungry flames.
We saw our first water buffalo, grazing in a field.
We soon saw many more.
Someone had created a cozy resting spot—or perhaps a temporary home—with a cinder block wall in the back and an umbrella for a roof.
Along the Yulong River were saturated rice fields, maintained in neat geometric shapes.
This large rock pillar almost looked like some type of ancient ruin, overgrown with shrubs.
The layered hills around us had a ghostly appearance, as if we could see through some of them.
The karst hills are nick-named “gum-drop” mountains because of the rounded tops of many of them. The rock is limestone, and the unusual shapes were created by thousands of years of erosion.
Leading to the river was an elevated path between the watery fields.
The Yulong River was very peaceful.
Many people travel to the big cities of Guilin and Yangshuo to see the much wider Li River, which also runs through the karst hills. The Yulong River, which empties into the Li, is much smaller and more intimate.
Some bamboo rafts were floating next to an abandoned building.
Can you feel the serenity?
We looped back to Chao Long, zigzagging our way through the fields.
Chao Long, in the distance:
Sebastian was having fun!
At first glance, deep footprints in the rice fields appeared to be a reflection of sky and mottled clouds.
A closer view of Chao Long:
This home was built on pilings over the water:
Back on the paved road:
This man was playing basketball while his little girl watched:
(He was also quite adept at smoking with no hands.) We waved and said “hello” (in Mandarin), but we didn’t have the words to start a conversation. Regarding the term “language barrier,” we have found that not being able to speak a language does indeed create a barrier to making deeper connections with people when traveling.
This newer hotel, named “International Chain Village Inn,” was on the main road:
Its cheery yellow paint was inviting, but we were glad that we were staying away from the main street, down this narrow road:
We loved the free-roaming chickens:
Today was all about relaxing. We had a leisurely dinner at the inn’s restaurant, which offered a wide variety of food—vegetarian, Chinese and European—all freshly prepared and consistently superb. Genevieve and Sebastian enjoyed the chocolate milkshakes:
The inn was managed by an English/Swiss couple, Michael and Nadine, who worked long hours every day to ensure that all of their guests were happy. Ben and I had a wonderful conversation with Nadine after dinner. Here I am with Nadine:
Michael and Nadine have traveled extensively throughout the world, and have been in Chao Long for the past two years. Their two sons are about the same age as Genevieve and Sebastian.
Sebastian spent the evening playing with the boys, while Genevieve got some pool lessons from her dad.
As for me, I found a book to read among the impressive collection left behind by fellow travelers. The book (“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran) pulled me in, and I was lost until the wee hours of the morning—yes, it was that good.
Today was exactly what I needed to feel rejuvenated and refreshed—both in body and spirit.
<< Day 11: Lijiang—“Impression: Lijiang” Show | Day 13: Chao Long, Peaceful Tranquility >>
Back to China Index Page
Back to Home Page
