Reed Flute Cave

  Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang, China
Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Today I was going back to Dalian, but first I made a few last stops in Guilin.  My tour guide first brought me to Elephant Trunk Hill, which is just a hill with a hole in it.  There was nothing special here, I think they just made a park across from it to lure in tourists and make more money.  Its pretty, and I could see going there to have a picnic, but it was a little pointless to go with a tour guide.

Next stop was Reed Flute Cave.  I don't know that I've ever been in a cave before, and I know I haven't been in such a colorfully lit one!  It was all so touristy, and we couldn't just walk through the cave and admiring the beauty.  Instead, my guide was telling me what each of the formations looked like, and there were signs to match!  There were switches to light everything up in lots of colors, and there were even fake bird noises in the background.  The video that I have is a perfect example of how almost my entire 45 minute tour was.  The nicest part was the weather inside the cave!  It was about 15 degrees cooler which was great on such a hot day!

I then had a stop at a Fresh Water Pearl Museum.  They showed me how pearls are made, and they even opened up a clam so that I could see the pearl inside.  I also took a walk around town in the area where the night cruise took me and I was right, my hotel was NOT in a good location!  There were tons of shops and restaurants, and where I was the only food I could find was KFC or room service. 

But overall, this trip would have been my favorite if I wasn't there alone.  It was a great city (although VERY touristy) and really pretty.  If you go to China, Guilin is a must see!