Time flies, it's already the last day of February and we're ready for the second edition of our Yangshuo News Newsletter. The tourist season for Yangshuo has not yet started. The last months it has been quite cold in China and Yangshuo was covered in snow. I was in the lucky circumstance to be in warmer areas of the world. And so was our guide and tour operator Jessie Lu.

Jessie had a well deserved holiday in Thailand. After coming back she started writing about her adventures in Thailand. It's not finished but I wanted to give you anyway a view in Jessie's experiences from the tourist side.

http://www.yangshuo-travel-guide.com/thailand-trip-jessie.html

What do we have in this second edition of our newsletter?

• Jessie's Private Tours
• Some Yangshuo stories
• Advertisement: Timeshare
• Traveling beyond Yangshuo: Libo
• Advertise on Yangshuo Travel Guide.com
• Safety first
• Travel The Real China, John from New Zealand
• Bicycling to Longsheng, Sanjiang and Zhaoxing

PS Let me know what you like and what you don't like. All comments are welcome. Click here to write your comment: http://www.yangshuo-travel-guide.com/ask-me.html

You can read latest updates in my Blog:
http://www.yangshuo-travel-guide.com/yangshuo-travel-guide-blog.html or :

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Do you need a guide in Yangshuo?
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I am a traveler and I prefer to do things on my own. Thus the idea of a guide is a little alien to me. However, guides can be very useful. For example if you have limited time. Or, if you don't speak the language, of if you don't feel comfortable to do things on your own.

But do you need a guide in Yangshuo? I would say if you really want to explore Yangshuo, a guide is essential. You will be able to scratch the surface without a guide and in the long run you will find some of the gems. However, a guide can bring you there were you would not think to go to.

Do you need a guide for Moon Hill? No. Moon Hill is close by, get a bike and cycle the distance yourself. Do you need a guide to bring you to some local villages? Yes, it is certainly an asset because a guide can open doors otherwise closed.

With Jessie Lu the Yangshuo Travel Guide has such a guide. There are plenty of guides in Yangshuo. Some cheaper then Jessie, some more expensive but none with the knowledge of Jessie.

Special for the Yangshuo Travel Guide Jessie has 3,4 and 5 day tours available

http://www.yangshuo-travel-guide.com/local-tour-guide-yangshuo.html

and her private tours:

http://www.yangshuo-travel-guide.com/yangshuo-tour.html

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Some Yangshuo stories
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Earlier this week I received some messages of clients of Jessie. Dave and Marian were on tour with Jessie

http://www.yangshuo-travel-guide.com/dave-tour-in-yangshuo.html

Debbie and Bob went with Jessie in the Longsheng padifields.

http://www.yangshuo-travel-guide.com/rice-terrace-hike.html

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Timeshare

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http://www.yangshuo-travel-guide.com/timeshare.html

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Traveling beyond Yangshuo: Libo
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Probably Yangshuo of all tourist destinations in China is most famous for it's bike rides. Not for nothing because the lands are flat, the scenery spectacular and nothing is ever very far.

During one of my visits to Yangshuo I came an unusual way. I choose a road very little traveled. A road that lead me along the borders of Guizhou in the south and Guangxi province in the north. It's an area few travelers, including locals ever do. It's certainly not because it is not interesting. The whole area is totally ignore by everyone it seems. The roads are partly in terrible state, especially in the south west corner of Guizhou.

Libo is a little town in the south east corner of Guizhou. Here infrastructure is much better and with a decent road nowadays to Hechi, Libo should be able to develop some tourism. Libo? Never heard of... true. It's a little town which was until recently a kind of dead end street. A nowhere town with no reason for existence.

When I visited the town I was quite amazed. The town is settled along a river and surrounded with hills. Day trekkings in the hills are great. And for cyclists, there are great option to come and go. I have written a page about Libo so you can check yourself:

http://www.yangshuo-travel-guide.com/libo.html

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Advertise on Yangshuo Travel Guide.com
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Advertising can be expensive. Our Yangshuo website gives you now the option to advertise for a very reasonable price.  You have different choices how to advertise. You can even advertise in this newsletter! We would like to do business with Yangshuo, Guilin, China businesses or related to the travel business in general. Read more here:

http://www.yangshuo-travel-guide.com/advertise.html

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Safety first
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For some people China is still a very dangerous country, backwards and without any facilities. Nothing is further from the truth. Guilin is the big city in Yangshuo's vicinity and has all the modern medical facilities you can image.

"How about a first aid kit", someone asked me last week. When you go out on a bicycle, motorbike, hiking or anywhere else outside the towns, it's advised you have a small first aid kit with you. In Yangshuo you are able to buy the most important supplies for your kit but once you're in a few days hike, it's useful to have a kit with you.

What should it contain? Here's the explanation of what and why:

http://www.yangshuo-travel-guide.com/first-aid-kit.html

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Travel The Real China, John from New Zealand
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If you are searching for a good website about China in general, then there are not many as good as John's Travel The Real China. John, a New Zealander living in Shanghai has created an exceptional informative website about almost every interesting place.. well... OK, I am exaggerating, but he does write about a whole lot of great tourist destinations. Check it out:

http://www.travel-the-real-china.com

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Bicycling to Longsheng, Sanjiang and Zhaoxing
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Nothing makes the mind more relaxed then a good old bike ride. Over the years I have been cycling around Yangshuo, up and down to Longsheng, a few times to Sanjiang, I remember one particular hard ride to Zhaoxing too. Some of these experiences can be read back on my bicycle adventures website:

http://www.bicycle-adventures.com/longsheng.html

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