Hostels Aren't That Hostile

Due to popular demand, you guys get two posts today. This past weekend I went to the town of Yangshuo with some classmates and teachers. It's a happening little town and it's only a 2 hour bus ride from Guilin. The purpose of the trip was to see a live performance directed by the same guy who directed the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. Just as during the ceremony, the show relied on massive amounts of performers working in unison to create some really cool visual effects. This time, however, the entire show was on the water, which made it even more impressive. It was incredibly well done. My pictures didn't turn out very well so I've only included the one, a picture of the three biggest floating stages: 

We stayed the night in a hostel called Monkey Jane's. It was my first hostel experience and it wasn't all that bad. They had a rooftop bar with WiFi and a beer pong table. You got a free t-shirt if you beat Monkey Jane in beer pong (each attempt cost $5) or carried ten cases of beer up the stairs to the bar. (Our group did not win a free t-shirt, but only due to poverty and laziness) The place was relatively clean and I appreciated their sense of humor:

The next morning we went hiking/explored the relatively small town. Even though the town itself didn't have much to offer outside of large open-air market, the scenery was incredible.

View from a pagoda atop one of the karst mountains: 

My buddy Paul and I:

Candid shot of my friend Brian and I

Because, China:

River Cruise:

Yangshuo is a cool little city tucked away in the mountains, not unlike the college town I usually call home. We ate at a British expat's restaurant and I enjoyed (no, really, I did) some of the worst pizza I've ever had, and just took in the change of scenery. It was a welcome break from Chinese food and Guilin, and I even got to sample some authentic German beer with our group's authentic German, Jochen (pronounced Johan). You'd be amazed about how particular a German is about his beer, the amount, the glass it's poured into, and a million other factors that apparently influence taste. As a 20 year old American college student I was just stoked I could drink in public. I looked on with envy because I believe the American legal system is the most just and should be applied all over the world, and I of course wanted to lead by example.

RIP CND