Guilin - China

My family came to visit me this month. I am so lucky that I was able to show them not only Shanghai, but we also traveled outside of the city! This post is all about Guilin. A gorgeous rural city that has lakes strewn throughout the area and beautiful mountains that were cut from the ocean long ago that now jut up, out of the ground like the teeth of some monstrous beast. Guilin is considered one of the most beautiful places to visit in China, and from my experience, I think I might have to agree. The mountains make for a gorgeous backdrop along the rivers and lakes throughout the Guilin area. We took a bike ride through a little valley town between a few of the mountains and were lucky enough to have visited during the brief week that the flowers were blooming, making the valley floor carpeted in yellow with the mountains looming over the town. It was breathtaking.

We also visited the terraced rice paddy fields of a local town. This town was indigenous to the Yao people. The women of this culture only cut their hair once in their lives! They cut it when they turn eighteen. There are specific hairstyles that mean different things among the culture. They wear there hair specifically for when they are young, of marrying age, married, a mother, and a grandparent. And each woman has their hair wrapped intricately around their heads. It was an amazing experience to be able to see their culture and everyday life style. And not to mention that the rice paddies were gorgeous. We were able to hike to the top of the mountain that the terraces were on and looked down on all the different layers of rice paddies and the town, making for a stunning view.