The first very excellent way to freeze is to arrive at 4:30am.
Apparently it was about 3 degrees, but I could have sworn it was below zero! Pitch-black and we stumbled off the bus bleary-eyed, hoping we hadn't forgotten anything, fighting our way through the committed gaggle of taxi drivers and hotel emissaries who homed straight in on us tourists. We had thought we were going to arrive about an hour later, which had seemed much more palatable at the time.. nevertheless, we strode off down the street, attempting to look like we knew where we were going.
We found a little eating house, and charged in hopefully. The owner was about to close (he had been open all night) but graciously extended his hours just for us. We ordered a mountain of food (including the most delicious frog porridge you could ever imagine - frog, I know right?!!) and slowly munched our way through, gradually warming from the inside out. Freeze beaten! At least for the moment..
Another very excellent way to freeze is to go on a raft trip. We had bussed our way down to the little touristy town of Yangshuo - surrounded by those towering rocky peaks the Guilin area is famous for - and as a raft is just the best way to view those peaks, well, a raft it was going to be. We ended up with a raft-woman ( I think her husband was at lunch!), climbed into her little roofed vehicle, and off we went. On the way down the winding river we were too entranced by the soaring landscape to much notice the cold. Helen made friends with the raft lady and she stopped at the farthest point of our journey so that we could get off and take pictures. She really got into the photographer role, directing us around - face here, face there, even getting Jasmine to pretend to pole the raft by herself!
The only drawback was that on the way back an icy breeze blew up, and having no new scenery to distract us we merely sat shivering pitifully, sitting on our hands to keep them from solidifying into meaty iceblocks.
A final very effective way is to go bike-riding. Now riding in winter is really not so bad for the core of the body, but those poor extremities, like arms and hands and feet and face - they do not appreciate this. Pedalling along, swapping hands from pockets to handlebars (I am not quite coordinated enough to ride completely hands-free, sadly), face numbly expressionless. But you know what? It was a beautiful ride - cruising down the road with those postcard peaks rising on both sides, passing roadside stalls, over bridges, visiting a lurid-lit 'Dragon Cave' and a hilariously awful 'Native culture experience', and just riding on, watching the mist swirl. So worth it.
Finally - hot ginger tea. It makes everything better. That is all.
Apparently it was about 3 degrees, but I could have sworn it was below zero! Pitch-black and we stumbled off the bus bleary-eyed, hoping we hadn't forgotten anything, fighting our way through the committed gaggle of taxi drivers and hotel emissaries who homed straight in on us tourists. We had thought we were going to arrive about an hour later, which had seemed much more palatable at the time.. nevertheless, we strode off down the street, attempting to look like we knew where we were going.
We found a little eating house, and charged in hopefully. The owner was about to close (he had been open all night) but graciously extended his hours just for us. We ordered a mountain of food (including the most delicious frog porridge you could ever imagine - frog, I know right?!!) and slowly munched our way through, gradually warming from the inside out. Freeze beaten! At least for the moment..
Another very excellent way to freeze is to go on a raft trip. We had bussed our way down to the little touristy town of Yangshuo - surrounded by those towering rocky peaks the Guilin area is famous for - and as a raft is just the best way to view those peaks, well, a raft it was going to be. We ended up with a raft-woman ( I think her husband was at lunch!), climbed into her little roofed vehicle, and off we went. On the way down the winding river we were too entranced by the soaring landscape to much notice the cold. Helen made friends with the raft lady and she stopped at the farthest point of our journey so that we could get off and take pictures. She really got into the photographer role, directing us around - face here, face there, even getting Jasmine to pretend to pole the raft by herself!
The only drawback was that on the way back an icy breeze blew up, and having no new scenery to distract us we merely sat shivering pitifully, sitting on our hands to keep them from solidifying into meaty iceblocks.
A final very effective way is to go bike-riding. Now riding in winter is really not so bad for the core of the body, but those poor extremities, like arms and hands and feet and face - they do not appreciate this. Pedalling along, swapping hands from pockets to handlebars (I am not quite coordinated enough to ride completely hands-free, sadly), face numbly expressionless. But you know what? It was a beautiful ride - cruising down the road with those postcard peaks rising on both sides, passing roadside stalls, over bridges, visiting a lurid-lit 'Dragon Cave' and a hilariously awful 'Native culture experience', and just riding on, watching the mist swirl. So worth it.
Finally - hot ginger tea. It makes everything better. That is all.
