Xingping, China

I didn’t get around to posting much while in China, so I have a bit of catching up to do.

Xingping is an ancient town north of Yangshuo, and it is nice. But as with everything near Yangshuo, the real draw is the views.

We planned on taking a public bus to Xingping. When we arrived at a bus stop that we thought possibly could have a bus heading there, we stared blankly at signs we could not decipher. Some locals offered to help us figure out the route, which was lucky because we did not encounter many English speakers in Yangshuo. They spoke to a few others at the bus stop and one of those waiting offered to drive us there, which seemed odd because it appeared he was waiting for a bus. I knew the bus prices and his price would get us there for about the same, so he fetched his car and drove us. Then we gave a speech to the children about how they should not hop in random vehicles with people when they are traveling alone.

The streets of Xingping. In the background is the peak we climbed to see the karsts.

We were told there are more than 20,000 karsts in Yangshuo County, which is believable.

While traveling in Asia, we were impressed by the dedication to selfies and posing that we lack. We liked this photo, but as a parent, I kept worrying one of the teenagers (or what they appeared to be to me) was going to topple off.

Perhaps the fact that I had already read the numerous warnings on our ascent increased my anxiety.

Our first few days in Yangshuo it sounded like explosions were everywhere in the hills and we didn’t know why. We later discovered it was during Qingming Festival. Locals told us that families visit ancestors graves and make offerings. They also shoot off lots of firecrackers. These are some of the tombs we passed on this climb. We saw many more on our walks around Yangshuo.

The area is also famous for having the view on the 20 Yuan note. You have to take this picture. It is almost a requirement.