Day 10 - The Reed Flute Cave

The Reed Flute Cave -

It was a beautiful rainy day with a temperature of 16 degrees and our last day in Guilin. We decided the perfect opportunity to visit the Flute Reed Caves, a natural attraction highly recommended to us. We booked our tickets at the reception in the hostel, the staff here are amazing and have gone above & beyond what is expected. We also borrowed 2 umbrellas & set out on a 6km walk to get to the caves. Not for the first time or the last, I was thankful that I have brought my timberland hiking boots, they are waterproof but also provided an excellent grip of the wet marbel tiles along the pavement.

I'm still shocked & amazed at how the local people transport themselves around on all manner of scooters, bicycles, wheel chairs & mini vehicles, half ute & half scooter. Today we saw a scooter van drive past with a lit fire oven on the back and he was cooking while he was driving.
Even in the rain they pile the scooters high with passengers or things, balance an umbrella in one hand, a mobile phone in the other & weave precariously through traffic. Thank god, were finally getting the hang of crossing the roads. After we got a few kilometres outside of town the landscape really started to change. Lots of mountains, rivers, traditional Chinese buildings with pointed roofs, huge power lines & fields of twiggy looking trees covered in pink blossoms. We later learnt they were peach blossoms. Another kilometre down the road & the path disappeared to be replaced by dirt, puddles & rough cement.

A lot of houses around here are either abandoned & falling down, half built or piles of rubble, there is also A LOT of rubbish. You can really appreciate the effort that goes into keeping the city clean & preserved.
Eventually we reached our destination, Reed Flute Cave! Just before the entrance, we were approached by a friendly Chinese man who spoke very good English. He quite easily convinced us we needed to go down the river on a bamboo raft. Though it felt very touristy, and at one point like we were the tourist attraction! It was very peaceful and a good way to admire the mist rolling of the mountains.
 Our captain, who was on our raft steering and  pushing the raft, would have at least been 60 & was half the size of Tom. She had calloused hands that were ancient, but strong & reassuring & a face full of wrinkles from smiling. She seemed very happy with her life & her place in the world. I hope I'm as happy, strong & self reliant as she is when I am her age!

Finally, the caves! My first caving experience! Reed Flute Cave is 787ft of natural limestone cave containing pools of water, ancient turtles that are over 100 years old, stalagmite & stalactite formations & ink inscriptions dating back to the 8th century. It was absolutely amazing & I found it really hard to pick only a few photos to share over our social media Platforms. I had read about the caves & they were highly recommended as something to do in Guilin. Initially I wasn't sure how I would feel being inside the cave or about the coloured lighting. Rest assured I loved it! The lighting & the sheer depth and detail of the caves, created a feeling like you were on another planet, like something out of Avatar. As Tom said "A Subterranean delight"

There are 7 or 8 different species of turtle that live in these caves, some of them have spiky shells and long tails! These Turtles are older than 100 years of age. The few that were on display in smaller ponds were absolutely surrounded by money form people paying their respects. The turtle is a symbol of longevity in china & also thought to bring peace and health. I felt a bit sorry for them, imagine reaching 100 years of age in a dark cave, then being discovered, contained in an enclosure with light, surrounded by money and being gawked at by people.

After spending a little bit more than an hour in the cave, we headed for the exit, dodged the souvenir sellers and begun the walk back to our accommodation.

Hot Tip:  As usual, buy your ticket online, it saved us 30Yuan & if you have the time and fitness level, walk! You can find websites with english options to help you make the booking or ask your accommodation. WeChat is of course the best way. Our hostel was very lovely and booked it for us, at no extra charge.

- Alli