As it turns out that feeling of excitement of having someone meet you with a sign was short-lived. The driver got lost twice, almost fell asleep at the wheel and then needed to stop on the side of the motorway to get a caffeine lollie out of his glove box. He then took us to a hotel that was out of town, and after showing him the address again he decided to drop us off at the edge of town which was fine with us.

Through lots of luck, some help from Google maps and one sign we found the hotel, and what an amazing hotel it turned out to be. The beds were soft, it had a good shower, and was set back off the main street so very quiet.

Yangshuo it seems is a big tourist destination for Chinese domestic tourism. The main attraction for them is West Street, full of bars pumping out music, cheesy German restaurants and endless shops and street stalls selling knick knacks and food.

The real beauty of this area is out in the countryside with the rivers and mountains, but more of that and some more pictures soon.