Tourists are enjoying Lijiang river on bamboo rafts. JP/Mariani Dewi

More than 100 people were standing around the upper deck on the Lijiang River cruise, trying to get good pictures of themselves against the backdrop of Guilin’s famous rows of peaks and greenish clear water.

Unavoidably, strangers were included in most photos, although no one really cared as they tried to enjoy the “most beautiful place under the sky”.

The cruise started at Mopan Hill Wharf, located some 23 kilometers from Guilin city. There, rows of two-deck pleasure cruisers painted in green and blue were lined up. The trip was to cover the 70 kilometer journey down the river in five hours to reach a small town called Yangshou.

This section was said to be the most picturesque section of the 437 kilometer-long Lijiang river whose source is in the Cat Mountain to the north of Guilin.

Passengers were urged to stretch their childhood imagination  — to imagine that the stones of various shapes could become recognizable objects — as the tour guide pointed them to famous peaks and told them “It is 30 percent resemblance, 70 percent imagination.”

A stone turtle was supposed to climb up a mountain at one side. A snail was supposed to curl up at another end. A half-size ferry should be parked on the river bank. An old man was supposed to be contemplating the other peak.

“Look to your right. There was a stone sticking up from the mountain. Can you see that it was a woman waiting for her husband’s return? You missed it? Too bad, there is no turning back,” said a young man, assigned as the cruise official photographer, as tourists sighed sadly having missed the stony woman.

They only had themselves to blame. He had already warned about it when he welcomed them on board around half-hour before. Then, passengers were seated on the lower deck, lined with more than 16 wooden tables. Each table seated eight people and everyone sat shoulder-to-shoulder. As in any Chinese house, tea cups and a pot of hot tea are on the table for guests to pour themselves.

“Timing is very important during this trip. You must follow my instructions closely. When the guide points to something in certain direction, you must quickly look that way. Or you will lose the chance to see the shape of the stone from the right angle. The boat will slow down but it can’t stop completely.

Once you miss it, it is gone,” he said through the loudspeaker.

“Be warned that your pocket cameras most probably can’t take good photos. Why? Because the scope of the camera is limited. You should use a professional camera like mine,” he tutored, holding up his SLR camera.

Worry not. There is no problem any tourist faces that a good Chinese tour guide can’t solve. He soon offered a solution.

“So you better hand it to the professional. Our team can help you take perfect photos. It is only 100RMB [US$14.9] for eight photos. Because there is only so much time that we have available, we can only sign up a limited number of groups for this. It is first come, first served,” he said.

Hands were waving frantically in the air and some people shouted for attention. The photographer grinned and reassuringly said, “Don’t worry. Don’t worry. I will come to you.”

Culinary matters were also addressed next. The free lunch turned out to consist of only a bowl of white rice, a boiled egg and a portion of dried vegetable.

“Do you really want to settle with just that? Why don’t you add something to make your lunch more enjoyable? It is a leisure trip after all. You can also order some dishes. They are all local products. Fish and prawns are from the river itself. There is nowhere else you will get such food,” the lady at the microphone said.

Purchasing the food package could mean extra perks — a table setup on the upper deck. Only one group budged and purchased an 899RMB food package for nine that earned them the invitation to go to the upper deck. Minutes later, however, everyone else went to the upper deck.

At some point, the boat stopped to let passengers have a good view of a 100-meter-high cliff. A painting of nine yellow horses should be seen on its greenish surface.

“Can you spot nine horses there? You are considered very smart if you can spot all of them,” the photographer challenged.

This reporter tried to be smart but her imagination failed her. There were only six patches that held any resemble of a horse and then boat sailed away.

Apparently, patience and imagination are two most essential virtues to enjoy the river. Many famous Chinese poets and artists in the past have recorded the scenery with melancholy and amazement.

“One hundred miles of the Lijiang River, is one hundred miles of art gallery,” one poet wrote, as quoted in the brochure. It is a safe bet to say that these poets did not travel with such a big group with a sound system continuously promoting the menu.

The food lady blasted again, “We are passing the fishing village. This is the last chance for you to order your food. Please grab it while you can.”

No one budged. As we passed the village, she sadly said, “We have said goodbye to the village.”
After an hour or so, most people had had enough of the crowd and the heat. The loudspeaker announced that no interesting sights were to be seen in the next hour so visitors could come down and rest. This was the first announcement that was welcomed with sighs of relief.

If anything this reporter learned quickly enough that in China, it was “do not trust the announcer”. Once most people left and tranquility restored at the upper deck, the mountains and water revealed more of their magic spell. Paradise had descended to the Lijiang River.

It was now possible to see what the poets in the past saw. No imagination was needed. The scenery was of heavenly beauty.

Rows of majestic peaks protruded on both sides of the river forming natural walls. They showed off beautiful textures. Locals said that the scenery was even better after drizzle as the mist lingered in the air and the wet mountains turned to a dark grayish color — just how they looked in Chinese ink paintings.

Looking down to the side of the boat, the water was shallow and crystal clear. River stones were clearly seen below the surface. Swimmers would feel like plunging into the fresh-looking current. Sometimes water grass filled part of the river creating an underwater forest. Ducks idly paddled away.

Goats and water buffaloes lazily grazed by the shallow river banks. Some buffaloes went into water and dipped their heads. A young buffalo ran after its mother up the shallow bank of the river. Rows of trees and bamboos formed natural screens to hide houses and created the illusion of the solitude of nature.

Fishmongers, some of them women, traveled up and down the river on bamboo rafts and approached the incoming pleasure cruisers. On some rafts, row of cormorants lined up waiting for their master’s command to dive into the river to catch fish with their strong jaws.

As the river narrowed at some corners, the captain skillfully maneuvered the cruiser while his assistants at the stern held up green and red flags to signal left and right. It was a combination of adrenaline rush and the tranquility of nature at the same time.     

At lunch time, people who did not order extra food would feel sorry for themselves. Having boiled egg and pickles on white rice in heaven on earth was a pathetic experience.

The purchased-food, on the other hand, was surprisingly fine and fresh. The steamed fish was fresh and tender, as promised. It must have been bought from one of the fishmongers on the bamboo rafts. There were also fried prawns, snails in sauce and steamed potatoes with their original light sweetness.

Most passengers dozed off afterwards as their appetite was satisfied and their faces caressed gently by the breeze. The cruiser cut through the water quietly.

Approaching the end of the journey, the water become shallower showing yellowish stones at the bottom. Many bamboo rafts filled with tourists traveled along the river. Some water-lovers took a dip and swam up and down, clearly too absorbed to be bothered by the passing boats.

On the river bank, some makeshift stalls rented out traditional Chinese clothes for photo sessions, a good chance for people who wanted to imagine themselves as Chinese royalty.

Finally the cruiser pulled over into the dock in Yangshuo. The photographer announced, “Please collect your photos on shore. Take a close look at them. If there is any piece that you don’t like, feel free to remove them and change for another one. It is why we take more than eight pictures of you, so that you can choose. It is part of our service to our visitors. If there are more that you like, you can purchase them too at 10RMB a piece.”

There is price for everything in Guilin, and the price usually is well worth it.

To top the journey, tourists can walk about Yangshuo, or take an additional tour to visit tourist destinations nearby, including the big banyan tree and caves. There is an option to cruise on the smaller tributaries of the river on a bamboo raft while drinking tea, eating peanuts and listening to a lady singing Chinese folk songs.

— Photos by JP/Mariani Dewi

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