The Island Explorer

Around 90 km from Kunming is the town of Shilin, known for only one thing: the Stone Forest. This UNESCO Geological Site has always been the main tourist draw in Kunming. When I got off the bus at a parking lot at the entrance of the park, I noticed that the Stone Forest didn't look like a natural wonder, because of all the manicured pasteurs and paved streets that led to the place. And the theme park look continued on, as I entered the park, after paying a fee of RMB80 I think. There was a long bridge that had a lake with limestone rocks jutting out, similar to what you may see in Palawan or Caramoan. The Stone Forest had a lot of Chinese tourists. I couldn't do anything but go with the flow. I managed to get off track for a while and head up to a a pagoda on a hill. I figured you could get a great view from there. And it did. I saw the seemingly small cluster of limestone rocks piercing through the ground. I said to myself, inside those rocks were thousands of Chinese tourist

The plane landed smoothly at the Kunming International Airport. I quickly rushed to get out of the terminal to catch a taxi to my home in Kunming, the Cloudland International Youth Hostel. Kunming was a developing Chinese city. It wasn't like Shanghai or Guangzhou, but you could see it was experiencing a boom. Construction was everywhere. Roads and flyovers were being built. Kunming is also known as the Spring City, because of its eternal spring like weather. And what a welcoming change of wind, after a chilly stay in Guilin. The taxis here looked weird, as the driver had a cage that separated him from the passenger side. I witnessed a sunset when I was headed to the hostel, something that I haven't seen in 3 days. I arrived at the Cloudland Hostel at 6PM, again, tired. Fortunately, the hostel looked excellent and comfortable. It was a huge hostel, probably the biggest I have stayed in Asia. The hostel was 4 floors high, had a huge common area, a courtyard, and even a sun deck.

The next day, I woke up with my things packed. I was off to Yangshuo, around 90 km from Guilin. I decided to take the Li River Cruise, which was one of the 100 things I wanted to do in this world. Though costly at RMB 300 (P2,100), the Li River Cruise is known to be a spectacular and unforgettable journey across the river that snakes its way across the majestic limestone rocks that make Guilin and its surroundings magical. The cruise began with a pick up from the inn, and a 30 minute bus ride to the pier. From there, the cruise, that included lunch, is expected to last 4 to 5 hours long. I met a group of Europeans and an American on the boat who became my table buddies for the entire cruise. We were sharing stories of China, and I mostly listened to their experiences. We were off sailing, and our English speaking guide, Danny, invited us to go on the deck to witness the first bends of the river. Since the river was at its lowest level, the boat slowly treaded through the calm waters. I

I arrived in cold Guilin with high energy. I rushed to the immigration and grabbed my backpack on the luggage belt. I looked around for a public bus to the city center, but saw nothing but a small mini bus in front of the airport entrance. I approached a girl beside the bus and asked if this could take me to Guilin. She said, "Yes, Guilin". So I boarded the small bus which looked more like a huge van, and waited for it to fill up. I arrived in Guilin City after an hour, and we were dropped off in front of a hotel. I didn't know where I was, so I called Lakeside Inn for them to instruct the taxi driver to take me to their guesthouse. And this is something I did in every destination. I have listed at least 3 accommodations on my phone with their numbers, and just decided where to stay when I get in the taxi. Call it a random process, that involves luck. The Guilin Lakeside Inn turned out to be a great choice. It was located between the public square and Fir Lake along a maj

As usual, I was asleep in the airplane, and the next thing I saw was the terminal building of Bayun International Airport in Guangzhou. I was groggy, but I managed to wash my face and pick my bag at the fastest time that I could because I needed an internet connection badly. Before taking off, I decided to stay at the Novotel Baiyun Airport, which cost around P4,000 a night based on my research on Agoda.com. I was just tired. I also decided to take a flight to Lijiang, my first destination which was also the furthest. I was going to work my way backwards. I came up to the lobby of the posh Novotel and asked for the cheapest room. They told me the rooms were booked. I only had the choice of a VIP Suite or a Business Room. I was taken aback at first. I decided to take out my laptop and hope that there was wifi in the lobby. There was, but only for check-in guests. The thought of heading onwards to the city center popped out several times, but I leaned towards getting the room. I was rea