Last Vacation

We recently just got back from our last vacation!  I can't believe it was the L A S T!  It is crazy for me to think that I have lived in China for the past four months, and my time here is coming to an end.  Luckily, our last vacation was a success!  We went back to Yangshou because last time it was rained everyday.  I am so glad that we decided to go back, because this time the weather was perfect!  We were able to do all of the things that we wanted to.  We went on a bamboo raft down the Li River.  This was absolutely amazing!  The river winds through mountains that are different sizes and shapes.  It is remarkable to see the scenery.  I had to remind myself multiple times that it wasn't just a picture, I was there in real life.  We put our feet in the river and the water was extremely refreshing and cold.
 The next day, we went to the mud caves.  We literally hiked through a cave for about an hour and eventually reached just a pit of mud.   Before we entered the cave, we were told to wear helmets.  I thought it was weird that we had to, but soon realized why they made us.  The cave at some parts was extremely low and it was a VERY good thing that  I was wearing a helmet.  I am not always the most steady person, I tend to get hurt quite a bit.  Either by falling, tripping, or hitting my head places.  The mud pit was not bad.  We got dirty, thew mud at each other and had a good time.  Unfortunately, Katie got some mud in her eyes.  A couple of hours after we left the mud caves, her eye started to swell and goop.  It was crazy to see how fast things changed in such a small amount of time.  Her eye was dramatically getting worse.  We ended up going to a hospital which is very different from a hospital back in America.  We were able to get her some medicine, and her eye is healing! 
On the last day of our vacation, a group of us decided to rent scooters.  If you didn't already know, riding scooters is probably one of my favorite things  to do.  Back at home, my mom has a Yamaha scooter.  I think that I have taken over the scooter, because of how much I ride that thing.  It is so much fun to ride the scooter in the summer.  I love the feeling of wearing my hair down and having the wind whip in my hair.  When I found out that you could rent a scooter in Yangshou, I got extremely excited!  I made sure that we were going to rent them!  I ended up sharing a scooter with my cousin Sara.  It was a blast!  The scooter was very different from the Yamaha back at home and I had to get used to it.  I was a little nervous to drive in China traffic but it was such a thrill.  After about two minutes, I got the hang of things and we were on our way.  We rode along the countryside in Yangshou, and it was amazing.  The scenery is absolutely breathtaking!  We were able to drive through some villages and it was neat to see the little buildings.  I love Yangshuo and I don't think that it could ever get old or boring being there. 
Our vacation was four days long, and then we had to catch a sleeper bus back to Kaiyin.  Katie, Sara and I had to sleep on the beds at the very front of the bus.  The beds did not have much space, in matter of fact, no space at all.  We must have looked extremely uncomfortable with our backpacks and souvenirs all piled on our bed because after about ten minutes the bus driver grabbed our backpacks and put them by him.  We instantly became friends.  I decided that I was going to try and speak some Chinese to him.  I started small with saying, "ni hoa!"  I then told him my name in Chinese, and everyone started to laugh.  The bus driver, and other Chinese people that were on the sleeper bus.  They kept laughing and laughing.  I decided that either I was pronouncing my name wrong, or it means something horrible.  I guess I will never know, but it makes for a good story.
Our second trip to Yangshou was great!  I had a really good time and I am glad that we went back.  Now we only have about two weeks left in China.  Things are coming to an end and I can't believe that I will be headed home in only two weeks.  It is surreal to me.