Nanning, China

After Yangshuo, Noel and I decided we would travel by land to Cat Ba Island.  We first took a train to Nanning, China to pick up my visa at the embassy.  Unfortunately, the train was sold out forcing us to stay the night at Nanning Travelers Hostel before we were able to take the bus to Hai Phong.  It did give us a chance to explore the area!

Nanning turned out to be a pretty strange city.  It was the first large city I spent any amount of time in, but it seemed totally different from the China I thought I knew.  Everything was dead quiet and super modern.  The China I knew was load and chaotic with construction and crowded markets. everywhere.  Here there as no construction and even the motorbikes were silent.  It was an eerily creepy silent city.

Selfie in the business district.

The center of the business district.

Noel and a vending machine bookstore.  Pretty awesome idea if you know exactly which book you are looking for.

The street food market.  The largest I've ever seen!

The market sold a number of weird bugs including rice stuffed scorpions and centipedes.  I was almost certain no locals would even come close to touching them and it was for tourists only.  Pretty nasty stuff!

Yangshuo After DF Program

After my first trip to Yanshuo I knew that I needed to come back.  There is climbing to last a lifetime, amazing food, and affordable everything.  After a few hangups with the local authority and a bit of moving, this still remains as a highlight of my time spent in HK/China.  I can't wait to return. Some say it is a bit too touristy, but it was easy enough to distance myself from that.  Yanshuo has the best food and best climbing that I have experienced so far in Asia.

Travel buddies stoping for a photo op while on the way to the crag. 

Ryan and I took a wrong turn on our bikes while looking for our friends and ended up taking a nice trip though an abandoned farm?  The wrong turn made for a nice ride.

Ryan checking out a route while inside treasure cave. 

The crew!

Maybe not the most appropriate, but this is without a doubt the worst toilet I have seen so far in Asia.  Its easy to take for granted what we have in the united states.  This is a toilet located outside of a local school.  

Moo!

Ryan making his way up Eggstreme Eggsposure 5.10b.  Maybe a take on the Gunks classic, Extreme Exposure?  They both have very similar features and are now two of my favorite climbs.

Ryan on Trou En Sec Humide 6c+.  This is the most unique climb I have ever seen.  It passes though a tufa system inside of a save and can't be cleaned without following.  An absolute classic.