We get a snack at the bakery again, but eat it en route to Lucy’s cafe, where we get a real breakfast. I’ve got a craving for porridge – and it tastes okay, but would be better with brown sugar.
After breakfast we take a short walk, and up getting caught in the rain. Seems like we’re in for a lot of rain here in Yangshuo. Rainy season, perhaps? I didn’t have much planned for Yangshuo, but was hoping to do some rock climbing, so hopefully the weather improves.
It’s also the Dragon Boat festival in China, the first time in 60 odd years that everyone gets the holiday. I figured there would be some racing along the river, but apparently not. Bit of a shame. The streets are relatively quiet, as most people seem to be staying inside and avoiding the rain. Smart. Natalia was going to stick around town for a bit, then head to Guilin, but since the weather is lousy and there’s not a ton to do here, she decides to head to Guilin early. We head back to the guesthouse and check out – with me moving into a dormitory up stairs.
I walk Natalia to the bus station in the rain (for some reason I didn’t bother to grab my raincoat at the guesthouse, so we share her umbrella) then head to the Minority Cafe to update this journal, avoid the rain, and drink some hot chocolate (followed by a coffee). My mom tells me Wayne is on facebook, so I send him an SMS via the Rogers website, and tell him to hop onto MSN. Chat with him for a bit, then decide to pay and head out before I wear my welcome out at the cafe. I’ll likely come back tomorrow, after all.
Wander through some shops, but nothing really impresses me (and in typical Asian fashion, everyone sells the same unimpressive stuff). I spend the rest of the day reading in cafes, or wandering through the rain.
I get some information on rock climbing, but it still looks like it’ll rain tomorrow. I head back to the guesthouse in the evening and chat with my dorm roommates for a bit. Mike from NYC and Natasha from England, plus a Scottish guy, whose name I never get.