Adventures with a Chinese Bus

At the hostel in Guilin I overhear 2 English guys ask the girl at the front desk about getting the bus to Yangshuo and I ask if I can tag along.  I’ve heard that travel in China can be a bit stressful due to the language barrier and I have to admit that I feel more comfortable traveling with others in situations like this. 

The girl at the front desk tell us “oh yah… the bus Yangshuo, very easy”.  She attempts to give us directions and afterwards we find ourselves more confused.  We end up at some kind of major transportation center with the routes and fares displayed on billboards high above the ticket counters but it’s written in Chinese symbols so we have no idea what’s being said.  After waiting in the long line we figure out that we’re at the train station, not the bus station. 

Standing in the rain, looking at our Lonely Planet maps, trying to figure out where the bus station is, we’re hounded by many Chinese touts trying to sell us overly priced tickets on their “buses” to Yangshuo. 

We’re determined to find the bus station and the map says it is only a few blocks from the train station so we set out on foot.  Ten minutes later we come upon loads of buses but can’t seem to find the ticket counter.  Looking lost in the bus parking lot we are approached by a guy telling us to get on his bus.  It’s going to Yangshuo and costs 20 Yuan which is close to what the Lonely Planet says it should be so we hop on and hope for the best.

Five minutes later the bus stops and we look out the bus window to see our hostel.  We all look at each other and burst out laughing.  Why the girl at the hostel desk could not have just told us to wait in front of the hostel to catch the bus is beyond me.  It would have saved us our sanity and at least an hour of hassle.

Once in Yangshuo the bus drops us off not where we expected to be dropped so we find ourselves standing on the curb once again looking at our Lonely Planet maps, trying to determine our location when we are approached by a local Chinese guy speaking English and trying to sell us on his hostel.  He tells us “other hotels, they rip you off; they suck your blood”.   Nice.

Li River in Yangshuo, China