We left at 6:30 PM on Thursday to head towards Yangshou! It was about a 13 hour bus ride and we were on a sleeper bus, which are the most nasty things ever, they smell and your "bed thing" is so so small and cramped, sleeping pills were my best friends for that ride. ;P
I love hostels so much! This hostel the staff was so so helpful, and it was so cute! loved the colors and the shelving! :) I met so many awesome people this weekend! I met a man named Ross from England, and he was super funny and nice and he hung out with us quite a bit! and we got to know him pretty well! and then I also mat another lady from california who was about 55 and she decided she wanted to teach abroad so she did! and she loves it! I was so grateful that I had the chance to talk to her about it! From someone who actually has been in it for awhile and knows what she's doing! she said its so worth it! Its helped to talk to her! because doing ILP i already knew I really want to teach whether t be back home in the states or abroad! but knowing abroad is doable has really opened up my mind to that possibility, I just know for sure I will be a teacher though! I Love it so much not to do it! :)
 |
| This girl stole my seat and we got in a huge argument and then the driver told me to sit in the seat next to my original seat so she good sit in my seat and then five seconds later she talks to me like we are best friends. Oh Chinese you crack me up. |
 |
| I said "smile Nikki" and she gave me this face;P |
 |
| Disgusting sleeper bus! |
 |
| right off the bus at 6:30 in the morning! and I see this beautiful view! :) |
 |
| I love these people so much! They are so fun to be around and I am always smiling and happy around them! :) |
 |
| Ali, Nikki, Courtney, ME;), Sarinna! |
 |
| Our beautiful river cruise boat:) |
 |
| "Dr. Seuss Mountains" |
 |
| Beautiful! |
 |
| Have no clue what this is called but the little things in side are nut type things! it was okay not the best thing I've tried in China! |
 |
| My kind of little store! :) |
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| The first street food that I tried! Spicy tofu! SO GOOD! |
 |
| Every time I meet someone new and they ask where I'm from, I say "Arizona! The Grand Canyon state!" Nikki always makes fun of me for saying it! :P and I also always say "Take a risk!" whenever someone asks my opinion on something they should buy or try! :) |
 |
| Wall of quotes!:) |
 |
| My best friends in China:) |
 |
| coconut juice fresh! :) |
 |
| The most delicsous donut we have ever ate! |
 |
| Sarina awkward photo #3 ;P |
 |
| Awkward #4 |
 |
| yummy passion fruit! |
 |
| All of us went to a kissing fish spa! It was so freaky! I could not stop laughing! :) It felt like pins and needles on the outside of my feet! My feet are so smooth now! :) |
 |
| So so so busy at night! I have come to the conclusion that umbrellas are the devils invention. I have lost count on how many times I've been poked in the eye by a freaking umbrella. They are so annoying. |
 |
 |
| Best Friends! :) |
 |
| We biked to the mud caves and it was so so fun. I bike the same way I drive though, my hand was on the break the whole time and I was always the last one in line;P better safe then sorry;P Do you guys like my nerd strap? ;D |
 |
| We did the biking and mud-caves on Saturday and we just walked around town on Friday! and all day Friday me and Nikki saw these beautiful flower crowns but we just never stopped for them, then on Saturday on the way to the mud-caves me and Sarina where way behind everybody else and we saw a person selling flower crowns so I told I had to stop so I could by one for me and Nikki, and Sarina said "what if she bought two one for you and one for her?" I told her I could take that chance! but once we caught up to everybody Nikki did buy me one! :) I was so happy and please that she thought of me!:) she ended up liking the ones I bought better so we wore mine and gave the other two to Ashley and Ali, and bought two more for the other girls:) I love the crowns so much! :) |
 |
| "Make a kissy face Holly!" *makes kissy face" "THAT is a fish face!" (Nikki) |
 |
| Best China Friends:) |
 |
| We finally got to the mud caves! They where so cool! very very smelly! but really neat to do! we played in the mud for about an hour and then we went to the hot springs which was so so nice! :) |
 |
| Group Picture! :) with three random people we didn't know;O |
 |
| On Sunday we were going to go to the rice terraces but we just didn't have time before the bus came to take us home so me, Nikki, Kyle, and Ashley took a cooking class! It was so so fun! The Lady who was teaching us (Cathy) took us to a real Chinese market and showed us around to and told us what certain thing were, and then she said "okay now we are going to the meat section if you don't want to come you can stay here, or if it becomes to much come back here" and I went because I'm in china and you have to take risks (;P) so I went and I saw cages of birds and bunnies and I'm like okay its just birds and then I saw a skinned dog hanging, and then I heard the barking, there was probably about 20 dogs back there in cages, me and Nikki had to run out of there right then, we both had dogs and we just couldn't take it. |
 |
| Cooking stations! |
 |
| We learned how to make eggplant, beer fish, and beef and mushroom! :) They where all so so yummy! and I know have the recipes for them! as soon I get home to Arizona I will be making my family traditional Chinese meals!:) |
 |
| Eggplant |
 |
| Beef and Mushroom |
I love hostels so much! This hostel the staff was so so helpful, and it was so cute! loved the colors and the shelving! :) I met so many awesome people this weekend! I met a man named Ross from England, and he was super funny and nice and he hung out with us quite a bit! and we got to know him pretty well! and then I also mat another lady from california who was about 55 and she decided she wanted to teach abroad so she did! and she loves it! I was so grateful that I had the chance to talk to her about it! From someone who actually has been in it for awhile and knows what she's doing! she said its so worth it! Its helped to talk to her! because doing ILP i already knew I really want to teach whether t be back home in the states or abroad! but knowing abroad is doable has really opened up my mind to that possibility, I just know for sure I will be a teacher though! I Love it so much not to do it! :)
 |
| the view from top of the hostel! |
 |
| "look dreamy" -Nikki |
 |
| Thank you Yangshou! This weekend was so incredibly fun! :) I will never forget it! Such a beautiful place that will forever hold some of my most dearest memories! :) |
