Taking a walk down my memory lane

The city of Guilin situated in the Southern area which is known for the dramatic landscape of limestone in the erotic hills of Karst. I just arrived at the Li River resort which is very near to the Li River. I could see the emerald blue water from my bedroom window. Between bustling Guilin and the village of Yangshuo, in the northeastern part of Guangxi province, the skyline is punctuated by sharp, green-trimmed peaks of karst limestone, jostling each other for space on the banks of the Li Jiang, or Li River. Rising like crooked teeth above the water, the stark shapes of these mountains have given rise to a host of names — such as Elephant Trunk Hill. It was Spring in March, the air smelled sweet. Every bone in my body was happy with my decision of coming here for my holidays. The resort was as comfortable as it could be. In the evening at about seven o’clock, I called the room service to order the food. Next I rang to my travel guide Xi Twang. I inquired about his plans for this trip. He explained everything in detail including all the facts. Mainly he told me all about the culture of the River and explained the details for the trips which we are going to have in the following five days.

Take a bamboo raft ride: This is one of the best, and most popular ways to see the river. Visitors can book a personal bamboo raft and get taken down the river. Most tours will stop off on the banks of the river for a traditional lunch. The boat ride is slow enough so that you can take plenty of pictures and enjoy the scene.

Reed Flute Cave: This is one of the most famous caves to visit along the Li River.

He sent me the following e-mail and told me to book a raft ride for tomorrow. I meekly obeyed and was looking forward to tomorrow. At night the sky had little mists of fog. What poetic scenery! I enjoyed my tea in the Cafeteria where I got to have a chat with the waiter. I couldn’t satisfy my curiosity so I also interrogated him about the river. Mang shoufan commenced to tell me about all the history of the Li River. ” The history of the Li River starts with nature and what happened to the area over time. This destination is famous for its rock formations, slopes, ridges, and ravines. All of those features were formed by water erosion and weathering. Through these processes, these famous and beautiful formations began to take shape out of the biochemical sediments. The river is part of the Guilin Scenic Zone, which has quite a long history. It was about eight thousand years ago that primitive communities were residing in this area. In 214 B.C. the Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, commissioned the Lingqu Canal to be built. This was during the Qin Dynasty.” As he told me. His Narrative builds a great picture of the eighty-three-kilometer river. For a moment I was so desperate to go that I asked myself why not now? But I was really tired from my trip and thought that morning would be better for taking all the photographs. The next day, which was Tuesday, I got up and started to dress for the bamboo ride. My travel guide was punctual and came exactly at seven-thirty am. He didn’t talk much of course until we went to the bamboo. When we reached the river I couldn’t take my eyes from the blue coat of the river. It was a breath-taking view. We went to the rafting side however at first I was uncertain of sitting on it you know for safety reasons. However Xi persuaded me that it is going to be alright. After his reassurances I finally packed the courage to step on it. As the driver started to paddle we started to move around the river. The sun hung low in the sky which didn’t seem to bother me. The soft zephyr swayed my hair and kissed my face as we came to the other side of the river. My camera was ready to store as many pictures as it wanted. I have to admit, it was a good place to practice photography. The ride was quick to end. “Let’s go to the Reed Flute River,” I suggested to Xi. As always he agreed ambiguously. In the cave there were plenty of stalagmites and stalactites that all have their own stories and interpretations. The best part is that the inside of the cave is lit up in Technicolor. The stalagmite was an upward-growing mound of mineral deposits. These Stalagmites seemed to have an interesting history of their own. The time sure flies when you are having fun. I agree with the phrase because the day was quick to end. So many places and so little time. The next day I again woke up at my usual time at six’ O clock. In the morning I decided to try some of Guilin’s best Cuisine. So I ordered Guilin Rice. It was truly delectable. “I would try it in the evening.” I made up my mind and patiently waited for my guide. He finally came though he looked a bit under the weather. But to my good luck he still agreed to continue the trip. Today we decided to go to the famous Seven Star park. We went there early and we were fortunate that there weren’t many people there. We met with a teenager who went by the name Ming Leung. “So Ming, how old is the Park and have you been working here for a long time?”“It is about fifty years old and I haven’t been working here for long. I am just doing an internship here.”“Oh Wow, what is your qualification by the way Ming?” I interrogated her.“Mam I have just graduated from high school but my study of interest is in biotechnology,” Ming said.I was startled that she should have applied for an internship somewhere else if she was interested in biotechnology. I bought my question.“The thing is Madam that technology is favorable until some point but it can also lead to devastating effects. Besides, we should never forget nature and animals.”She gave her answer. I asked for further explanation.“Madam looks at the world in this way. You have always heard that if you know the fundamentals of everything only then you could jump ahead. Right?”She stared at me. I gave a nod.“So the world’s fundamentals are nature. Nature is the basic thing. For example, the vehicles which we drive use fuel or petroleum. Nature provides us with all of this. I have conducted research and hope to open my newspaper to create awareness.I was so mesmerized. I further interrogated her about her research. “Well I have concluded that nature has enough for man’s needs but not man’s greed.”I agreed with her.“But I don’t get it why you particularly chose this place there would be other nature associated places I believe,” I asked her again. This seemed like an endless cycle of conversation.“ It was because of Pandas. Their population is decreasing very quickly and I don’t want them to go extinct. Not just because they are our national animals but because they also play an important part in the environment. Every animal in this world does its role and contributes to the goodwill of nature. Alas!” She nodded her head and then again continued.“I am aiming to open up the eyes of people. They have been blinded by the truth. I want to convey my message that even if they use all the resources for their pleasure at least sustain them as well. I know I will face a lot of criticism but I will not give up because great and successful people have to cross many barriers before they eventually find success. I won’t back off even if I have to invest my whole life in it.”I was impressed by her passion for all she wanted to do. For the next three days I came to the Seven-star park to help her with her tasks. And in the evening we sometimes hiked or went to the nearby café to munch on noodles and some herb tea.Even today I miss Ming and her ambitious nature. I wish with my soul and body that she may succeed in her aim. Even today I keep in contact with the ‘chance encounter’ which is Ming. We video chat once a week and ask about one another’s health. Though mostly I am interested in her research and her progress.