Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Wing Chun Blog - Sifu Garry in Guilin



Wing Blog Sifu Garry

 Sifu Garry and Sifu Linda in China

In October 2016, Sifu Linda and I travelled to Southern China and spent 1 week in Guilin, Gungxi Province and 4 days in Hong Kong.
We have been to China and Hong Kong on 8 occasions but this trip would have to be our most fulfilling and most enjoyable experience so far.
Chian is an amazing Country. People often say; “Why go to China”.
China’s provinces are like different Countries similar to Europe. The diversity and cultural differences between the Provinces are amazing.
The Landscapes, Mountains, Rivers, Gorges, Architecture, People, Food, Languages, History and the Age of China, must be experienced at least once in a lifetime. China is like another Planet.
About 12 months before our trip, I saw some scenes of Guilin and Long Ji Rice Fields on CCTV Channel 9 and stated to Linda that night that we are going to this place, no matter how long it takes to save our money.
We were very lucky as it only took 12 months to organize this trip of a life time.
The majority of our past trip have been with Wing Chun Students. But this trip would be exclusive to Sifu Linda and Myself.
Guilin is like being in Heaven. The City is surrounded by Karst Peaks. There are no High Rise in Guilin, so as not to hide the picturesque Mountains surrounding the Area.
While there, sifu Linda and I went on a 4 hour river cruise down the Li River and finished in Yangshuo.
Yangshuo is a small village also surrounded by Karst Peaks.
Along the way we were totally mesmerised by the landscape and mountains. When we arrived in Yangshuo we travelled for about 15 minutes to visit a family living in an ancient abode and viewed some old traditions still being practised today.
The following day, Sifu Linda and I travelled by Car for about 2 hours to Ling Ji Mountains. We climbed to the top, about 1500 meters and met the Yao People whom have constructed a nail free wooden village atop of the Mountain. The village is surrounded by Rice Fields, named the very popular “LongJi Rice Fields”.
The food was exquisite. We were lucky to find a very traditional restaurant which served us Organic Egg Plant, Vegetable Fried Rice and the best Organic Potato Chips I have ever experienced.
The Mountain landscape was surrounded by an eerie fog and mist, which created an unforgettable ambience and spiritual Feng Shui.
We also visited several popular tourist attractions around town, one being the “
Elephant Trunk”. What a spectacular piece of erosion to shape the side of a mountain like an Elephant’s Trunk. Incredible!
We stayed at the Shangri La in Guilin. What an exquisite location and beautiful place to stay.
Hong Kong was our next destination.
We had been to Hong Kong on many occasions but never stayed at the Shangri La right on Victoria Harbour in Tsim Sha Tsui.
It was a million dollar view from our Hotel room. Our room was so big it could be classified as a small Flat.
We had a separate kitchen, Bar area, separate lounge room, separate bedroom, separate shower with 2 Toilets. We couldn’t believe our luck.
Hong Kong is such a vibrant Metropolis. There is so much to do there. There are Markets galore, Seaside destinations like Stanley or Repulse Bay. There is Ocean Perk, a fantastic theme park. They have a Disney Land and a Noah’s Ark. There are numerous Cafes and Bars with views of Hong Kong Harbour and it’s Metropolis. Yum Cha Cafes abound on virtually every corner. There are observation Decks on many High Rise Towers. The Ferry cruises around the Harbour and at night are fantastic. It’s no woner my Wife and I have been to Hong Kong on 9 occasions.
Our next trip in October 2017 will be to a place called Zhangjiajie, in Hunan Province. This is the location for the Film “Avatar”. This scenic area is Heritage recognized for its vast scenic mountainous views with Pillar Rocks and Karst Mountain Peaks, Waterfalls, Forests, Valleys and Gorges where there is the longest Glass Bridge in the World. Cant’ wait.