I can’t recall when our bus changed from a 12-passenger to a full sized for our tiny group of eight. (Yangshuo or Guilin?) Honest. A full-sized bus! Made us feel special I suppose. After lunch we headed to Elephant Trunk Park. It was a good day for a slow walk around but soon became boring as we stayed longer than we needed. This time, Chinese girls took a particular liking to Ernesto and begged to be photographed with him. By now we knew they like to have pictures taken with the foreigners.
Quick Facts:
- Guilin is not a big city: population only about 1 Million
- Guilin has 2 rivers and 4 lakes
- International football academy is here
- Strawberries and Calamondin (I think). They look like tiny oranges)
- Lots of foreigners have come to Guilin since 1980
- Plenty of open spaces / large parks (pay fee) and small ones (free)
- Many nurseries along the highway / lots of peach trees
- 90% who come, like it
- The River Li divides the city into east and west
- Taxi costs 10 Yuan anywhere (about $1.66 USD)
- Garbage is collected every single day
- Biggest pollution from cars and factories, not from garbage
- Recycling done carefully
- Some garbage incinerated
- Government provides rat poison if required
- Rats not a problem in city
- In country, rats still eaten
- Welfare for people who cannot work, but a tiny amount
- Chinese (Welfare) Lottery is illegal but people buy tickets
- Selling lottery tickets only allowed if portion goes to social / charity endeavors
- Ticket sellers probably give just enough to stay under the radar
- Income taxes: 5% for regular people / 10% for the rich
- No land taxes because you don’t own the land, but must pay to renew 70-year lease
- Farmers trust their wells because it’s free
- Wells do not get tested at all
- Water supplied by government / cost per amount used like in Canada
After the park we finally unloaded our luggage and checked out the new hotel. My apologies for the fuzzy pictures. The girl is from a particular ethnic minority, but I’m not sure which one.
More Quick Facts
- Banyan Trees
- Streets edged by Camphor trees (smell nice and keep bugs away)
- Cannot make money in this city
- Government pays to keep out pollution and manufacturing
© 2015 All Rights Reserved Tess @ How the Cookie Crumbles (hotel courtyard)
Dinner:
- Ying and Yang soup (egg white and green tea for design)
- Dumplings
- Panko dipped spring rolls
- Soy and chili sauces for dipping
- Carp with celery, water chestnuts and cucumber
- Celery, water chestnuts and pearl onions
- 3 large (pork balls surrounded by sliced cucumber (centre uncooked)
- battered and spiralled eggplant
- Batter-dipped chestnuts, deep-fried
- White rice
- Orange wedges in skins
© 2015 All Rights Reserved Tess @ How the Cookie Crumbles (The soup)
Our dinner restaurant had many rooms. The waitress wore something like Bluetooth technology and carried on a conversation with someone as she delivered food. The farther south we went, the angrier the conversations sounded.
Someone cut a piece from one (of three) of the huge pork balls for a taste. The next person cut through the centre revealing raw pork. We all looked at each other. What to do? Finally, the waitress came back serving a nearby table. We waved her over and explained about the raw meat. She continued her funning conversation in the sphere and stopped long enough to inform us it was not raw. She picked up a fork and mashed the pork ball till it flattened. “Is okay. Is okay. Is okay.” Her voice had escalated until it sounded like yelling (maybe scolding). Smacking down the fork, she left in a huff. Needless to say, no-one touched the pork.
No doubt about it, the pace has slowed from the initial fast pace 19 days before.
~ * ~
Next on April 3rd. Day 20, Part 1 – Flight to Guangzhou
For more related posts, click on China tab at the top of the page
© 2015 All Rights Reserved Tess @ How the Cookie Crumbles
How the Cookie Crumbles 
March 27, 2015 at 4:05 pm
Cool yin and yang dish. Also, thanks for the facts on garbage. Good measure of a place, how they handle garbage.
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March 27, 2015 at 4:11 pm
The yin yang is cute, but pork not cooked properly? They must be crazy! Did you try the carp, what’s it like?
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March 27, 2015 at 4:16 pm
Ironically, something similar happened at a restaurant here. We ordered a dish and the fried pork of the dish was not only half raw, it was greasy tasting. When I called the waitress over, she told me the pork was not raw. I told her it was raw, greasy, and nasty smelling. She grabbed one of the forks off the table and began using it to go through the food and slammed the fork down and said, is okay. is okay and stormed off. I followed after her and said, ning sheng culu (you are rude). She looked at me funny and I handed her the plate of food. and then pointed at the food – choulou – ugly food. She screamed at me and I thrust the food at her. I told her in English because I knew she understood and loudly enough other people heard: you are rude. your food is nasty. We will never return here. you are rude….apparently, it is a Chinese thing. I have had more problems with rudeness from Chinese than I ever had from any other nationality.
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March 27, 2015 at 4:25 pm
Their income tax is quite low. Maybe because the wages are, too?
That Ying and Yang soup looks too pretty to eat!
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March 27, 2015 at 4:50 pm
I think I would have eaten everything but that raw pork. I am surprised at the rudeness – something learned from the tourists?
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March 27, 2015 at 4:57 pm
The ying yang dish is very artistically beautiful. Lot of interesting info about a foreign lifestyle. Thanks, Tess. 🙂
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March 27, 2015 at 5:32 pm
Tess, a fabulous Friday travelogue!
The pork ball makes me think of Passport Mini Cooper telling me my 1 year old car is *supposed* to blow cold air when the heat is on, and smell like it’s burning. Maybe the waitress could work for them.
I’m glad there were other things on the menu. The yen/yang soup is really pretty. Hugs! ❤
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March 27, 2015 at 5:38 pm
My hairdresser was in a restaurant with the family during March Break. The food came cold. It was pasta. She told the waitress and was told they serve the pasta at room temperature. What? Customer service is going down the tubes faster than a snake into a tunnel.
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March 27, 2015 at 5:35 pm
What a fabulous trip! The video was great––loved the music! I enjoyed the pictures as well. Very creative dishes. Thanks for sharing! 😀
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March 27, 2015 at 5:38 pm
Thank you and you are welcome. Thank you for visiting and commenting. 🙂
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March 27, 2015 at 5:51 pm
Nice tour. I had to laugh on the pork. No way Jose. The skies, were they overcast or was that pollution?
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March 27, 2015 at 10:20 pm
I;m not sure anymore. I think part of it are the pixels of the iPad. A couple of times another person in our tour made comments about smog but I wasn’t aware of it as such. I wonder what else I missed. 😮
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March 28, 2015 at 9:04 am
Wan Foo will do that.
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March 27, 2015 at 6:51 pm
Boy that culture thing really rears an ugly head at times. I don’t know about raw pork. It’s not the flavor–I’d worry about trichinosis. The pictures, though looked great!
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March 27, 2015 at 10:25 pm
Thanks, Jacqui. After this post, a reader shared a similar experience with waitress and raw pork. Really? Ugh.
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March 27, 2015 at 6:56 pm
Oh, love the rock formations, the cherry blossoms, everything…and the facts. Thank you, I love it, more! 🙂
And now I want Chinese food…really badly. 🙂
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March 27, 2015 at 10:26 pm
I want some too, although I think it’s different, but BETTER here. 🙂
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March 27, 2015 at 9:30 pm
You’re packing a ton of stuff into these posts, Tess – amazing ! 🙂
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March 27, 2015 at 10:30 pm
If you are enjoying it, I’m pleased to share. ❤ Glad to have you along.
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March 28, 2015 at 1:49 am
Just make sure it’s not too much work for you, m’dear; that the blog isn’t making demands, you know ? You must have plenty of time for total relaxation !
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March 27, 2015 at 10:53 pm
That is quite the ying and yang dish Tess. I admire how well you kept notes on the trip. this is an area I really need to work on.
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March 28, 2015 at 4:52 am
I also liked the Ying Yang dish and the music. I’m not sure if it’s a cultural thing or they are not used to people complaining… I’m pleased the pace seemed to have slowed down as at some points I worried you’d all end up exhausted. Camphor trees sound interesting…
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March 28, 2015 at 5:20 am
I liked Guilin very much, I didn’t visit the Elephant Park well for me.. as you say it’s not worthwhile, but I enjoyed a lot in the cruise to Yanghsuo, I’m travelling with you… it seems it’s my second trip to China!!!!!!!!
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March 28, 2015 at 5:54 am
Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
The tour through China continues with a stop in Guilin and a rather interesting encounter with a raw pork ball and stroppy waitress! As always a terrific article by Tess Karlinski
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March 28, 2015 at 8:04 am
The soup does look interesting but strangely not appetising. I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back if a waitress did that in front of me, how rude! The courtyard looks beautiful. Guilin only a small place then…. 😉 thank you T for another informative and colourful post.
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March 28, 2015 at 9:22 am
Love the photos and dicription and facts. The angry sounding conversations sound right to me and the scolding the Chinese do not take criticism well. When ever I hear my brother in law talking to my nephew or any of his relatives the conversation always sounds like an excited escalating row.!!
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March 28, 2015 at 10:40 am
Raw pork is not a great idea. I went to a modern restaurant once that served rare pork. For some reason (alcohol probably) I ordered it and then left it!
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March 28, 2015 at 11:11 am
I agree. I wouldn’t touch it either, Andrew. Good choice on your part.
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March 28, 2015 at 11:37 am
Tessa… the shoot of the girl in the hotel is from the Miao Etnic and sometimes are colled “The Silver Princess”, the rest of the photos are good.
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March 28, 2015 at 2:08 pm
Dear Tess,
I love the yin yang dinner entrée! I also love all the information that you pack into a post. I don’t eat sushi, and I real have to draw the line at raw pork. I am impressed with the extensive touring that you did on this trip–places I haven’t even heard of. I’ve never been closer to Asia than Istanbul, and hope to before too long, so I am eating this up with a spoon–or should I say chopsticks?
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March 28, 2015 at 3:26 pm
The Yin Yang dish looks quite artistic. What an odd way for a waitress to handle the food. Always interesting, Tess 🙂
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March 28, 2015 at 5:39 pm
I am not much a a traveler so I’ve been reading your China posts with fascination and without the slightest hint of envy. But Guilin looked pretty appealing.
Then you came to the pork anecdote…
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March 29, 2015 at 7:59 am
Raw Pork? Thank goodness that was detected, very dodgy that. Sounds like the waitress was more than a little distracted. Guilin looks very nice and I do like the idea of Camphor trees lining the streets, fresh and clean 🙂 Love the Ying Yang soup, very clever. Another fascinating glimpse of your time in China this Tess, always look forward to reading the next stage in your many and varied adventures! Happy reading 🙂 ❤ ⭐
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March 29, 2015 at 8:32 am
The farther south we moved, the people were less polite and the language sounded (Cantonese) a lot rougher, stronger and angry.
Time for coffee… Hope you get some relaxation in today as well. ❤
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March 30, 2015 at 12:44 pm
Fascinating that. I did manage to get some in Tess, thank you…and then did a huge pile of ironing
Still, very satisfying when all done 🙂 Hope your weekend was as restful as you hoped ❤
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March 29, 2015 at 4:29 pm
The raw pork was bad enough. Having someone pick up my fork and smash my food and tell me ‘is good is good’ would have had me singing ‘is not is not’ !!! 🙂
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March 29, 2015 at 4:34 pm
All we could do was roll our eyes. We wanted her to take them back to the kitchen and that took courage–in a foreign country yet.
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March 30, 2015 at 7:43 pm
I seldom, and truth be told can’t be sure I have ever, sent food back…. I’ll have to think on that. Not sure what will happen to it. I have left food, and not eaten it. I usually always carry a Clif Bar with me! 🙂
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March 30, 2015 at 9:53 pm
What you see in the movies, IS what kitchen staff will do to your food when you send it back. It’s not worth it because you won’t eat it when it comes back, knowing what they do. 😦
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March 31, 2015 at 8:26 pm
Ruh Roh Scooby……. !!!!!!! Well then…..good to know !!!!
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March 30, 2015 at 7:27 am
Great information on the city itself. The soup was quite pretty, the pork oh no. What is up with rude wait staff? Camphore trees, I found them in quite a few places, always loved them and wished I could grow them here.
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March 31, 2015 at 10:18 am
whether it is wild chickens?
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March 31, 2015 at 10:34 am
Yes these were wild chickens in the park. 😀
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March 31, 2015 at 10:36 am
hi hi I wonder whether the eggs can be collected after them? P
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March 31, 2015 at 11:06 am
I hadn’t thought of that. Probably someone know where they are.
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April 1, 2015 at 2:05 am
Even when you are relaying that things have slowed down, it is still so much fun to read! The photos are wonderful, don’t mind the odd bit of blur here or there! Such an interesting place this is! ❤️🌸💜❤️🌸
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April 3, 2015 at 9:26 am
i see some yummy food 😉
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