It's the Golden Week: Yangshuo

The Golden week is the name Chinese people give to one of their three weeks of national holidays. It occurs the first week of November in order to celebrate the National Day and the Moon festival. During this week, the entire China is on vacation. Yes, you got it right, 1.4 billion people on vacation…at the same time. So I let you imagine how complicated it was for me to find a place to go that matched with my criterion. The destination had to be: 1- Not too crowded, 2- Not too expensive, 3- Sunny, 4- Not polluted (I was really seek of Shanghai’s not breathable air). Oddly enough, I found one: Yangshuo, In the Guanxi region. This region is located in the very South of China and shares a border with Vietnam. One of its most noticeable specificities is its Karst Mountains, which are absolutely breath taking.

Amongst many activities, I experienced Mud bathing in the Caves of Yangshuo, the light show (choreographed by the choreographer of Beijing’s OG’s opening) with more than 200 people performing, kayaking, rock climbing (OK this one I just watched my friends do it), bamboo rafting and so on.

The activities were really amazing, but the highlight of this trip was definitely the hotel I stayed in: The Giggling tree. It’s like a little hidden paradise really. The owners are Dutch, so they bought back an old hotel and entirely redecorated everything. The staff is very kind, and last but not least, the food is veeery good. I totally recommend!

So to conclude, I got what I wanted. Even during the crazy golden week, I managed to find a place that was not so packed and where I could finally rest from Shanghai’s urban jungle. But I have to tell you, I can’t help but being glad I’m back to SH!