Our first boat trip in China was a cruise on the River Li. The Yangtse gorge by all accounts is no longer worth it, now that the water level has been raised by the new dam. The River Li cruise has the opposite problem, lack of water. China's water table is rapidly falling and the level of the river in Guilin is dramatically low. Cruises therefore start further downstream, nor do they go as far as Yangshuo for the same reason.

The scenery is outstanding, strange limestone karst pillars rise out of the mist as the boat travels down the fast moving but shallow water. Many of the pillars and outcrops have been given names by the Chinese. Probably the most famous view is the one on the 20 yuan note. Local people are proud that the Yangtze only features on a 12 yuan note. At the height of the season there are many boats, which all leave at much the same time to make the trip. As you go down villagers in rafts punt out to the ship and hang on while trying to sell trinkets and toward the end of the cruise a cormorant fisherman drifted up and showed his method of fishing to great applause. The fisherman has two trained cormorants which dive for fish. Their neck is normally tied so that they cannot swallow the fish. Every now and again though they are allowed one. It is very similar to falconry.

The boat tied up in the small dusty town of Xingping. The town like so many is being transformed by tourism. Backpacker enterprises are opening up, along with restaurants and souvenir stores. However, the town of Yangshuo is still the major destination. It has an attractive situation along the riverside, with a large pedestrian boulevard lined with restaurants and shops. To the side are numerous small cafes and even climbing shops to appeal to visiting Westerners. Apparently the town has a 2 hour burst of activity - the time between the tourists arriving off the boats and their departure by bus. Because of the fast current the boats return without passengers.

We took a bus from Yangshuo out into the countryside, visiting some villages. We arrived at a local beauty spot where the river flows languidly and you can safely take a raft trip. On the main river rafters happily ply their trade alongside large notices stating that they are illegal and unsafe. We met some herdsmen with their water buffalo and watched another cormorant fisherman at work. The limpid pools of the river contrasted with the sharp angularity of the nearby limestone karsts, creating a picture of tranquility, unusual in China.