Yangshuo is a popular place for cycling tours as the town is surrounded by karst mountains, winding rivers and beautiful scenery.I don’t know who was more scared of the day of cycling that lay ahead, me or my mom. We are both quite unfit when it comes to cycling but we were really looking forward to the bicycle ride through the Yangshuo countryside.
Our group got bicycles and bicycle helmets from the hotel we were staying at. I was the “lucky” one to get a baby blue peapod motorbike helmet as they ran out of bicycle helmets. Luckily there was a light drizzle every now and again so I didn’t get too hot wearing it.
We got to experience the hustle & bustle of the Yangshuo traffic for 10 minutes before we escaped onto the country roads of the beautiful Yangshuo countryside. The scenery along the path that we followed was breathtaking! Biking alongside the paddy fields and orchards that surround the mist covered mountains gave us a fascinating insight into life in rural China.
Our first official rest stop was at Dragon Bridge. We made our way through small villages and over bumpy roads to get to the 400 year old Yu Long (dragon) Bridge. Although the bridge is not particularly spectacular the scenery is magnificent and worth the whole ride! Looking out over the river filled with all the bamboo rafts made me forget about my sore bum for a while!
Just up the road from Dragon Bridge we reached Moonhill which is about 8km south of Yangshuo. This is a very popular scenic spot the main attraction being a hill with a huge hole in the shape of a moon. The hills here can be climbed for spectacular vistas from the top. It is not an incredibly long trek to the top but the gradient and strange angle of the 400 odd steps that are covered in slimy moss didn’t look that inviting. So my mom and i opted not to join the group for the 400 steps to the top and waited for them at the bottom. We sat down at one of the hawkers at the entrance and had some very tasty bean jelly while got resting our sore bums.
The scenery did make up for any pain and I stopped a lot to take loads of photos. But definitely going to start riding more bicycle at home so that next time I do a cycling tour I will not be in so much pain. For lunch we stopped at a local house and had the most amazing pumpkin and taro root with loads of other local dishes. Lunch was fabulous and just the boost we needed for the bicycle ride back to town.
Getting back onto the bike after lunch I realized that I could hardly sit on the bike my bum hurt so much. It was quite a balancing act to make it back but it was such an amazing experience.
Janaline's world journey 
impressive!! looks like a great adventure Janaline 🙂 PedroL
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Fabulous post, really awesome pictures. The cycling looks like so much fun.
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Thank you! The cycling was loads of fun but because I am so cycle un-fit it was quite painful to sit after a while…..but the beautiful scenery made it all worth it.
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Really love your adventures! And you get to do this one with your mom. That’s just great!
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Thanks you!! Going onthis great adventure with my mom is something very special. I am so glad that I get to share something this amazing with my mother!
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Wonderful pictures and narrative to go with them and those awe inspiring hills.
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Thanks Chrisstov. It was such a breathtakingly beautiful scenery that I am afraid my descriptions dont even start doing it justice.
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This just looks absolutely beautiful.
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It was definitely one of the most beautiful places that I have had the opportunity to travel through!
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The shot of the bamboo rafts is so glorious. Definitely worth the effort, I’d say!
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Thanks Polly! Appart from the pain it was one of the most amazing days I got to spend with my mom on our China Oddysey!
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Stunning scenery. I think that adding these images to your collection makes the painful posterior worth it. 😉
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I agree, the scenery and amazing views made the fact that I was bicycle unfit so worth the pain!
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Fantastic shots! You really get around girl.
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Thanks Resa! This was definitely a great adventure!
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Guilin is beautiful everywhere…
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I agree Amy, the whole area is breathtaking!
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Looks like you had a really good time; the scenery is fantastic. I’d like to do this ride myself in future.
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We had an amazing time! If you ever get the chance you should definitely do a day cycling tour of the amazing Yangshuo countryside!
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Your description of the helmet had me smiling – beautiful post!!
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Thanks! I felt a bit like an idiot wearing a motorbike helmet while on a bicycle but that didnt stop me from having a fabulous day!
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Absolutly a wonderful post, excellent captured photos… 🙂
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Thank you!! The Yangshuo countryside is sa breathtaking scene.
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You really sound like you had a great time and the sceneries are awesome!
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Thanks Bebs. We had an amazing day getting to apreciate the beautiful countryside of Yangshuo.
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awesomely beautiful pics and post:)
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Thank you! It was such a fabulous day that I couldnt wait to share it.
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