Yangshuo Bike Ride

I think I figured out why I enjoyed the bike ride through Yangshuo so much; I felt like everything about that experience was so absolutely real

It was riding a bike through the countryside. That's all it was, and that's all it will ever have to be.

On our end, there was no greater motive than "Hey let's rent bikes and ride through Yangshuo." We weren't trying to get anywhere in particular, we weren't riding the bikes to get in shape, it was simply to get out into the world

On the part of Yangshuo, there was no sort of pretense. It was not some dressed up and hollowed out exhibit for tourists showing how far China has come. Sure the tourists are there, and in droves, but something about the Yangshuo countryside defies being cheapened by this. I felt like there was no hint of "Just think of what Yangshuo can become" or "Look at Yangshuo's historic past." All I felt was a sense of "This is Yangshuo now."