What Bamboo Can Doo

Today in Yangshuo we once again saddled up our two wheeled double seated beasts of burden and headed up river to the launch point of our bamboo rafts for a river float.  We have a group of about 6-8 other other folks traveling with us, Brits, Kiwis, Aussies, some Brit expats from Dubai and a Dutch woman.  The size and makeup of the group would fluctuate as folks dropped in and popped out.  The mix ranged from 20 something recent undergrads to  professionals in their 30s who had quit their jobs to travel the world for a few months and up to a year before they embarked in there next adventure.

These were Tara and Riley's new BFFs.  The kids really had fun with these folks.  None of them had kids yet, a few of them would not be having kids, and I think it was a mutually enjoyable experience.  The kids jumped off the tandems as we were parking them and ran up to the front of the group.  One couple commented later that it was a wise move on our part as the hawkers pitched them hard thinking they were the parents and the keepers of the cash.  That was true until one particularly persistent 300 year old woman, who measured up to about my waist, discovered that I was the rightful owner of said children.  She was unstoppable and I almost purchased a big squirt gun out of pity.

We boarded rafts made of bamboo lashed together and chairs tied to the top.  Seeing the peaks from yet another moving platform, this time gravity powered and power steered, was very enjoyable.  There were a few drops in the river that gave a bit of a thrill.  To think we paid all that money in Disneyland for Splash Mountain.

Once on the raft we sat down on our seat and the raft captain kept saying to us "sit down, sit down".  It took a minute to understand that he really meant stand up so he could adjust the seat.  Just another reminder that I am sure we are massacring our attempts the Chinese language.

I had never really considered it, but bamboo is a very useful material.  What else can utensils be made out of to eat the very material that you made the utensils from.  Not only can you eat bamboo shoots with bamboo chopsticks you can make buildings, boats, bikes, barstools.  Could that be Gods super material?

Here is Tara, the River Queen.

After the raft trip we went to Dr. Lily for a foot massage.  Not a bad deal for $13/hour.  I have very tight calves and they had no mercy on me.  I did my best not to wince too much.

We avoided that fishy foot massage as we have heard that it is a great way to get hepatitis.  They gnaw away at your skin just like they had for hundreds before you while you sit back and relax.  You can only put fishies in an autoclave once.

Jet Lag.  Strangely enough, none of us really had any jet lag.  Could it be that the 14 hour difference gets us almost opposite and somehow that works out?  We only slept a little bit on the way out and we did not lay our heads down until 2:45 am the first night.  Hmm.  I wonder how the return will be.  We get in on Sunday night and back to work I go.

Images in 2013 the Yangshuo folder.