Day 74 - Nov 9

Last full day in Guilin. We had a different tour this time to the rice terraces. Cut deep into the valleys northwest of Guilin, they were apparently really well rated and a must see. After a long drive out there, with one section of the asphalt completely missing - think Indiana Jones at Disneyland for 3 or 4 miles, we made it to the first stop. Here we saw a show at the long haired village, which was a bit strange and kind of awkward. It seemed really disrespectful to the actual traditions and people in the village. Later, after grabbing lunch with the Europeans in our group went up to the actual terraces and village up there. The fog obscured the view from high up but at about halfway up the mountain we were able to take some good shots of the terraces. In my opinion the villages itself was as interesting as the terraces that brings tourists out. Here, the all wood structures are built into the mountainside and boast the oddest mix of traditional and random goods for sale. Also, there are some western restaurants up there as well, among the cloth merchants and bone carvers. After the terraces and back in Guilin we headed to elephant hill park, which I'm still not totally sure what it is. The actual center was closed, but we saw beautiful pagodas along the river, and ended up walking the perimeter of the lake. After that, we went in search of a well rated korean/northern Chinese restaurant. We eventually found it, but ended up walking a good amount of the city (which was nice).