Guilin is named after the fragrance of osmanthus tree. With beautiful limestone formations, scenic rivers and lakes, Guilin is being regarded as one of China's most beautiful place.

I have just concluded my 4D/3N trip to Guilin. It was my 1st oversea trip together with wife and my parents-in-law. The ground arrangement was sponsored by a supplier of my wife's work place. We just need to purchase our flight tickets (AirAsia) and pay some miscellaneous charges (tipping, airport tax, visa and additional fees for shows). The whole cost totals up to around RM600/pax, which I think is a great deal and check out our journey below:

Day 1
We arrived in Guilin LiangJiang Int. Airport at 10.30am (local time same as Msia). The weather was excellent with temperature around 15C. Without wasting much time, we headed to city centre to fill up our groaning stomach with Guilin's most famous rice noodle. I guess sometimes most famous doesn't necessary means tasty after all. As the rice noodle was not really to our appetite, we tried the McDonald's which is just few doors away. Thank God the McD there didn't let us down.......lol


After lunch, we headed to Reed Flute Cave. The cave gotten its name from the verdant reeds that grow outside it, which people used them to make flutes. Inside, we were mesmerized by the beauty of the natural limestone, the stalactites and stalagmites illuminated by coloured lightings. The view was superb!


Next, we proceeded to Silk Factory to witness how silk is being produced. The prices of top quality quilt made of genuine silk here can fetch up to thousands of CNY (Chinese Yuan) per piece. We walked to the adjacent building to get a glimpse of the Guilin Ocean Aquarium while waiting for the rest of the tour members to exit the Silk Factory.


Later, we checked-in to Taizi Hotel, had a short break followed by dinner at the hotel's restaurant. Being told that there is a 'pasar malam' nearby, we took a stroll around the hotel's vicinity towards the 'pasar malam' and were amazed to see the whole place glitters at night with bright neon lights attached to almost every building. Bling! Bling!

Day 2

Next, we were treated to a complimentary 1 hour foot massage at a massage centre pre-arranged by the tour agency. As there is no such thing as free lunch, throughout the whole session, their main agenda was to lure us into buying their health products that they claimed able to cure certain type of illnesses. My advice, please think twice before you buy them. After the massage, we crossed over to the opposite building for lunch followed by tea tasting session at Dr. Tea. Here, we sampled various type of tea including the well known Pu-Er Tea, originated from Yunnan province in China. We were told that only unmarried girls allowed to climb the tea tree to pluck leaves. No wonder Pu-Er tea is so highly price......lol

Then, we proceeded to the north of Guilin city for YuShan Park. Here, we learned about the native people's way of life and a chance to see the display of their cultural performances. We took a boat ride along Li River and the scenery was breath-taking. Plenty of souvenirs available for purchase at this place.

..........to be continued