This shall be a subset post of the "out of the world paradise" as i have too many photographs (no surprise on that) and it makes complete sense to take the cruise section out!
As you can probably attest from the above; the morning started badly with rain! In the past few days before this, weather wasn't cool as expected but i sure didn't pray for this pitter pattering rain that made travel a real bitch!
Boarding the boat; is anyone counting on the number of cruises / boat rides that i experienced in the recent trip!? I have honestly lost count.
The scenery was said to be breathtaking on a clear day; you can get some inclinations from the above photo although judging from the photographs taken of the AAAA-rated attraction, mine was hardly 20% the beauty.
Visitors continued to be enthusiastic despite the rain, except for maybe me as i relied heavily on photo-taking for my blog and it's frustrating to be limited by the weather.
Of course, a good photographer can take fantastic photos everywhere. However, i am well aware of the level of my skill and have always insisted that many a times, it's the hardware that makes the man.
Introducing to you, our guide for the cruise!
Mountain in front of us that was shrouded in fog; a dreary sight for one who was prepared to be blown away by the marketed impressiveness; damn the weather!
Be greeted officially by a member of the minority tribe at the drum building coupled with the music from traditional instruments.
The cruise journey would loop us back to visit the wooden buildings, on foot. This attraction was more a cultural village in my opinion and had been operational for quite a while; its exact start date was unknown even though i did manage to find out the first award given to it was in year 1999.
Haunted looking pavilion that would be a perfect movie setting for Strange Tales of Liaozhai. To read more about Liaozhai, please visit here.
Okay, it's obvious the enthusiasm was short-lived.
As the boat was full and i was squeezed at the back to the left, maneuvering was an issue and i had to resort to such devious method to show you a clearer picture of the scenery on the "other side" of the vessel.
The background for developing this attraction was based on a significant scene described in a novel; and it all started from walking into a cave and stepping into a land of utopia.
It was a fictitious story by a man who died in AD 427 yet it generated as much interest in Ancient China as the novel by James Hilton titled Lost Horizon did for the rest of the world.
Stealing photo again (thanks to the gentleman) - as this was purpose-built, the view that appeared right in front of us once the boat cruised out of the darkness was nothing short of idyllic.
From afar, the peach blossom trees with blooming flowers on the peach blossom island changed the atmosphere totally and i was actually feeling less depressed.
Until the boat brought us closer and i noticed they were all fake flowers!
One of the attractions along the cruise - the primitive tribe which didn't seem to add any cultural / historical value to the tourist attraction. I am not even sure if it is a real tribe!
Nevertheless, i shouldn't bother so long everyone else was happy. That's an issue with tourism nowadays; you show what visitors want to earn the dollars.
Captain of the boat seated on a low stool. Bet he would get body ache at the end of the day as the position wasn't entirely comfortable.
A prettier view!
Passing under the dragon bridge which was frankly, a rather normal arched bridge. You can get a nicer one at Singapore's Chinese Garden.
Signs of modernity that brought us back to reality - you may stay in the villas and wake up to the sights of utopia, provided the weather was in your favour.
My guess was that these were lanterns.
Looping back and came face to face with a new batch of visitors who was on their way to the cave. From their expressions, i deduced they felt the same way as i did; damn damn the rain!
Zhuang Region Building - if i remember correctly, you would see a short dance by the tribal ladies when the boat you were on cruised towards it.
Reaching our disembarkation destination for the next phase of the journey on foot! Couldn't wait to get out of the boat so that i can exercise my fingers, with ease.
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Website (in Chinese)
For the itinerary of the tour package (guaranteed no shopping stops) to Guilin i signed up with Chan Brothers, please check out the link here.