Today I left Yangshuo. Arriving on the 26th March, my stay is a day
short of 9-weeks. Yangshuo has been good to me. The climbing has been
excellent. White Mountain will certainly rank high on the top 5 crags
worldwide list for sometime. While the elusive Lei Pi Shan pump fest
route, Singularity will no doubt burn a hole in my memory for some
months to come. But then nobody leaves a crag with a full tick list-
You just have to remember not to be too precious about these things!
And Yangshuo marks a huge step forward in my steady 6b/c grade, 7b
onsight and 7b+ worked.
But Yangshuo was a lot more than climbing. In my time here myself and
Stacey propped up the ChinaClimb bar, The Lizard Lounge. It was really
a perfect setup- a couple of shifts a week, in return for accommodation
and a paycheck which allowed us to live sustainably. The people of
ChinaClimb were good to us, we have some good friends here now and I
will always feel I have a little place I could call home in this huge
country. Big up China Climb!!!
Of course Yangshuo is not short of good places to eat and drink. In
our time here we developed a little circuit of favorite places to eat
and drink.
On an average climbing day, Gan's Noodles was our first regular. Their
Lanzhuo Style Noodles and Jiaozi (steamed dumplings) are off the hook!
Next up has to be our little obsession with Mamba Milk Tea from the
Ice House. Ask any western person residing in Yangshuo and they all
know 'The Claypot', strange since everybody actually means the place
next door called, 'Earthenware pot'. Regardless the selection of tasty-
fine rice bowls with selected toppings is a sure-fire hit. My
favorite, Eggplant, Potatoes and Green Peppers- 8Kwai- boom! Breakfast
should be spelt 'MC Blues'. As a place to meet friends pre-climbing
and feast first it's hard to beat, "Ba Kwai Omellete Xie Xie"!
We had a number of other places which made up our rest day circuit.
For lunch the noodles behind the Ice House, just down the road from
McDonald's. A serving consists of noodles, peanuts, cabbage, fried
crispy tofu and a protein rich fried egg, served up in a tasty spicy
soup- unquestionably my favorite dish in Yangshuo, 5¥. if your looking
to burn a few hours watching a movie, cruising free wi-fi, writing your
diary or brushing up on your mandarin, Mimosa or Yangshuo 11 Hotel
near Monkey Janes is the spot.
And finally where does one drink!? Pick of the bunch has to be Monkey
Janes. It's mix of rooftop location, 'Beer Pong', suitably loud
popular rock music and the occasional DnB or breaks track make it a
firm favorite. We also had a few drinks, a game of pool and a
Wednesday night quiz at Bar 98.
All in the mix of world class climbing, breathtaking and unique
landscapes, tasty food and a solid community of good people and
climbers makes Yangshuo a very sound destination. I look forward to
returning. 2011!??
