Yangshuo - Day 3

Ever wonder what it feels like to be followed by the paparazzi? We found out in Xing Ping when we were followed for hours by middle-aged Chinese women. It all started when the bus pulled into this little town, and a crowd of 6-8 women gathered at the door. We thought they were all getting onto the bus. As soon as we stepped off the bus, they all swarmed around us with brochures in their hands, offering us a great price for a scenic boat ride up the Li River. We quickly told them we weren't interested and walked away. We thought that would be the end of it, but no! 4 of them started following us. Even after we told them not to follow us, they still trailed behind us. We ignored them and went about exploring the town. This is what being famous feels like! They even sat outside the cafe waiting for us when we stopped for drinks and lunch! The funniest part is when a full-blown shouting match erupted between the women and our waitress at the cafe. Turns out the women found out we had agreed to take the boat ride with the waitresses' brother. They accused her of stealing their business. At one point, a lady (she seemed like a person with authority) came to stop the argument and hear both sides. Then she walks over to us and tells us it is our decision who we want to take the boat ride with and the most important thing is to enjoy our lunch and eat in peace. At the end, the waitress told us to take the boat ride with one of the other women instead because she didn't want them to be mad at her. All this fighting for 150 RMB (about $23US), which was the cost for a 2 hour boat ride for all 3 of us! At the end, the boat ride was lovely and peaceful. The scenery was spectacular. A nice way to end a very interesting day!