Bamboo Rafting

One Saturday we went with two students, Rachel and Joe, to try bamboo rafting on the Dragon river. Conveniently, you can cycle to the river, put your bikes on the back of the raft whilst you float down the river, and then ride home again. After some aggressive haggling from our Chinese friends we were gliding smoothly down the river on our bamboo vessels. Dangling our feet into the river whilst reclining under a large colourful umbrella was a wonderful way to unwind from the week. The river is surrounded by karst peaks and the views were magical. After relaxing for awhile, Marty, Joe and Rachel all had a go at rowing the rafts. This proved to be quite comical and not quite as easy as the pros made it look!


After rafting for over an hour we rode to Moon Hill for a delicious "farmer's house" lunch with the best beer fish we have tried yet. The ride took us through tiny villages and gorgeous countryside which was green and lush with crops. At one point, Joe, who was riding ahead of us, turned around a bend and just after he moved out of our sight we heard an almighty splashing sound. Incredibly, he fell off his bike and into a small river. He lost is glasses and ruined his mobile phone but luckily he is a strong swimmer so he was in no danger. We later found out that earlier that week he fell off his bike and dropped three metres onto a field of crops! The next weekend Joe went back to the river and found his glasses, but the phone was no good after being completely submerged.

In the evening we then met up with more people from school and rode to the "secret beach" on the Li River for a swim. The water was warm and the spot was perfect for swimming as it was in a bend in the river and the current was not very strong. After swimming we rode back into town to have dinner. Frank put his shorts in the basket on Joe's bike and rode back in his bathers and shirt. When we got to the restaurant we realized there had been a miscommunication and we lost Joe. This resulted in Frank having dinner and going to a popular drinking hole in his bathers! He buttoned up his shirt but this made him appear to be wearing no pants whatsoever! Many onlookers cast some strage glances at him and everyone gave him a wide berth on the street. The situation was hilarious and now Frank has a "no pants" reputation.