Guilin Favorites

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Favorite thing: Well, this booth which looks like a booth for Tourist Information is pretty misleading. This little booth is located right in front of Guilin Bus Station, along Zhongshan Nanlu. We thought it was the Tourist Information Centre and in hope of getting some information on how to move about Guilin - but well, it's not an Information Centre. It is actually a booth set up selling tour packages to various places of interests in Guilin. Initially we wanted to move off from the booth but then after looking at some of the packages, we were kinda interested in some as we were having a time constraint and to move on our own will take up quite a bit of our time. The tour packages that we took are :

Day trip to Crown Cave ("Quan Yuan") and Gudong Falls : RMB150/- per pax
(Inclusive of entrance tickets to both the locations, excluding the fee for hardhat and grass sandals for hiking up Gudong Falls, lunch on own account)

Day trip - City tour Guilin covering Princess City Solitary Beauty Park, Third Sister Liu Garden, Chuanshan Cave/Tunnel Cave and river cruise along LiJiang to see Elephant Trunk Hill : RMB35/- per pax
(Inclusive of entrance fee to Beauty Park and 3rd sister Liu garden, inclusive of river cruise but excluding entrance fee to Chuanshan and tunnel caves, lunch on own account)

The tour company is Guilin Wan Tong Tourism Sdn Bhd. Tel: 2800318
Pickup will be at hotel entrance. Time :8am and to return by 5pm for each trip. Tour guide speaks Mandarin. Arrange for English speaking guide - think that would cost a little bit more.
Tour buses are clean and with AC.

See more pictures attached on tour buses and tour guide..

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Favorite thing: Guilin Bus Station is also located along Zhongshan Nanlu . It is a big station and you can buy your tickets in advance (for some) for most of the places you wish to visit in China. We bought the tickets for our travels to Longsheng and Yangshuo here. Lots of tour operators and people trying to sell you tour packages and bus tickets. It's best to purchase your tickets at the appropriate counters in the bus station.

See another pic attached

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Favorite thing: Guilin Train Station is strategically located along Zhongshan Nanlu. It is near to lots of hotels and shopping stalls - well, it is along the busiest road of Guilin. The station is swarmed with lots of people - locals and visitors. During weekends, it's really horrendous - lots of local tour groups arriving via the trains. At this station, you can purchase your tickets to the various provinces of China. Tickets are best purchased in advance. The tickets are electronically generated as such the seat number and timing are clearly stated in your ticket.

Location of Guilin Train Station : Zhongshan Nanlu, Guilin

See more pictures attached on scenes at Train Station

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Favorite thing: Persimmon - a fruit that looks like the tomato. when it is unripe, it is greenish yellow and turns into a deep orange colour when it's really ripe. The taste is really sweet and juicy and the flesh is tangy and soft. You can eat the persimmon in a dried version - it's brown and flattened. Taste is equally sweet. You can find the fresh persimmon and the dried ones in the fruit stalls along the West Street and the Pantao Road.

Fresh persimmons - about 3-4yuan per kati (about 3 medium sized persimmons)

See 1 more pic attached on dried persimmon sold in packets.

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Favorite thing: The pomelo - a kind of fruit that has a thick yellowish green or light green skin. Its flesh looks slightly like the grapefruit but it is sweeter (sometimes a tint of sour) and bigger in shape. During the hot weather, pomeloes are a good thirst quencher. They are sold as a whole fruit and not in slices. The pomelo trees can be very high or very low. See more pics on the pomelo trees - one high and one low..

Favorite thing: I think it is called this as they did a concert here and they play the music from it -- the echos and the lighted stalagtites and stalacmites
are gorgeous. This is something that will be on a "China Tour" if you are on one -- and it is lovely. Certainly a worthwhile stop.

Fondest memory: Get out of your hotel and go to the night market. This is a lovely town and it is a joy just to wander the main streets to see people enjoying themselves.

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Favorite thing: I only realised this when I got home. Travelling through such breathtaking scenery you get so "blown away" as you click that you don't see the finer details!!

As you take the photos be aware of minute things which afterwards you'll be saying "I wish I had noticed that!!" eg some of my mistakes...other people taking same photo and somehow they end up in your photo which could have won a prize!!(and you cannot edit them out?##).....power lines....poles in the corner...not allowing for light/sun at the camera..

See my "beautiful photos"

Favorite thing: Different seasons and different weathers will display the Guilin mountains in different light.

But the recommended best time for a river cruise is April, May, September and October. Of course, best time is the most tourist crowded time especially duing the Golden week during the first week of October.

River water level will vary accordingly during the wet and dry season.