Cormorant Fishing in Guilin

Saturday 22nd September

For thousands of years, men in southern China have utilised cormorants to fish for them in the rivers and lakes of the region.

They start with an egg that is ready to hatch and are there when the chick emerges. The fishermen nurture their young chicks and the birds imprint on the fishermen as if the men were their mother. When the bird is about a year old it is ready to go to work.

A choker is fitted to their neck so that they can't swallow the fish. The cormorants are fed a meager diet of fish... one meal a day to keep them hungry. A well fed cormorant is lazy and won't try hard to catch any fish.

The fishermen take the birds out on a bamboo raft, using a bamboo pole as a punt. The raft is fitted with two kerosene lamps which attract the fish and the cormorants go to work, swimming under the water ahead of the raft searching for fish. When a fish is caught, the cormorant surfaces and jumps aboard the raft, or is hoisted on with the fisherman's pole.

The fisherman then grabs the cormorant by the neck and removes the fish from its gullet and the cormorant goes back to search for another fish.

We joined a large cruising boat to watch a couple of fishermen working the river for half and hour. Thirty years ago, four cormorants would feed a fisherman and his family, but these days fish are more difficult to find.

Cruzin' in Guilin on the River Li

Saturday 22nd September

Our amazing adventure in China and Tibet is quickly drawing to a close. But not quite yet!

Today we spent a wonderful morning, cruising down the Li River on a boat which is roughly the equivalent of a Captain Cook cruise. But we were not alone. There were 17 other boats just like ours and each carried about 120 passengers. They cruised downstream in convoy. Half an hour previously another similar convoy preceded us. That is about 4,000 passengers each day, seven days a week doing the Li River Cruise.

Along the way we marvelled at the stone casts, or small mountains made of limestone on either side of the river. The scenery was enchanting. The river was clear but shallow. In places it seemed no more than a metre deep. Water buffalo occasionally drifted by as they grazed on the water weed, their heads below the surface.

There were fishermen in their long narrow boats and motorised rafts of bamboo that you could hire, complete with driver and colourful umbrella.

Lunch was served downstairs on the boat. As usual, the table was crammed with an endless supply of Chinese dishes and as usual, we only ate about 10% of what was served.

There was something surreal about this cruise. On board was a table of eight Indonesian Christians who had brought their own electronic keyboard and spent the entire cruise singing songs of praise. But in the middle of all this, a couple of heads appeared at the window from outside the boat, offering fake jade carvings for sale. The two men were on a raft made of 5 sticks of bamboo lashed together and propelled by another in the form of a punt. Between them was a large basket of trinkets which they offered at outrageous prices which quickly dropped when no one wanted to buy. They would maneuver their craft into position beside the boat and then attach it with a piece of rope and a steel hook. Balancing precariously, they would stick their head in through the window and start to bargain with the passengers.

The cruise continued until we reached our destination... Yangsuo.

Yangsuo is a pretty little river port resort style town, with shops and the ubiquitous gauntlet of market stalls selling just about everything that you don't need. "Hello!!!" echoed in our ears as the stall owners spotted us approaching from the boat. "Hello!!!" they aggressively shouted, trying with their limited 'Ingalish' to attract our attention to their wares.

We wandered the streets of Yangsuo for 45 minutes until it was time to go. After a brief ride in an electric golf buggy to our bus, we headed back to Guilin.

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Thursday September 20th.
Today we took a chairlift to see Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from a plateau below the mountain itself. The chairlift climbed the slope flanked by spruce trees with views that stretched forever. Once at the top, we meandered along a plank walkway for about 500 metres through spruce and moss covered slopes to a large green open field within the forest. Here we had a clear view of the mountain before us.

The mountain is imposing and grand, overlooking the plains below with its permanently snow-capped peak often shrouded in cloud. You can clearly see the peak from Li Jiang, as it stands as a backdrop, towering over all around it.

In the days when the NaXi People had arranged marriages, lovers who didn't have their families' consent would climb the mountain to spend 3 days of happiness together before jumping off this local Lovers' Leap with the expectation that they would spend eternity in paradise together.

Birthday in Li Jiang

Thursday 20th September

Today we celebrated Judy Roffey's birthday in a beautiful courtyard at the Li Jiang Jiannanchun Hotel. After a long day on the road looking at temples and other attractions, we all gathered to make Judy's day a special one that we hope she will always remember.

The hotel supplied the cake and Kathy was able to find 4 bottles of a very nice Chinese champagne style wine.

Our guide, also named Judy, gave Judy Roffey a nice green shawl.

Judy has helped to make the trip special and we all wish her happiness and health.

From Judy, Hi to Sam and family.

The NaXi People of Yunnan Province

Tuesday 18th September

The NaXi People (pronounced Nashi) are one of China's minority ethnic groups numbering about 280,000 and living predominately in Yunnan Province. They wear colourful costumes with traditions dating back into the mists of time. We visited a NaXi Theater performance in Li Jiang which was led by the DongBa or tribal leader. A man of 78 years he still throws all his energy into the performance which draws a full house each night.

The performance was full of colour and music, telling legendary stories of past conflicts and victories. There was singing and dancing, light and movement. Intricate costumes that must have taken hundreds of hours to prepare.