Since many years, Yangshuo is considered to be a travelers gem. Even in the ears that China was a closed country and few, if any were able to travel in China, Yangshuo was the exception. In the early 80's, when traveling in China was almost like traveling to Mars, there were only a few areas for tourism opened. Most of those areas you had to travel with an official Chinese guide, who usually spoke little English and told you no more then the official story, written by the the Chinese Communist Party.

When I first visited China in the mid 90's, tourism was rapidly increasing. There were still plenty of officially closed areas but there were also plenty of options to travel independent through the country. Booking a train ticket or obtain a bus ticket could be a real challenge. I remember Hezhou, not far from Xiahe in north China where I could only obtain a bus ticket if I had a Chinese Insurance, but to obtain such an insurance you needed to hand over a bus ticket, proving you were traveling in that area.

Those days are over. China nowadays is just as difficult, or as easy to travel as any other Asian country. That is, of course, if you do your homework. One thing many travelers underestimate are the distances. Flying from west to east China take 3 hours, north to south, around 1.5 to 2 hours. So planning is essential.

Yangshuo is such an area that shows up on my "to be visited areas in China". It's not for nothing. There are few places in China, even in the world more scenic then Yangshuo.

The limestone mountains of Yangshuo

I have said it before, and I repeat it here: "If paradise have existed, it might very well have been here in Yangshuo". Of course there are plenty of other wonderful and magic areas to visit but Yangshuo has without a doubt one of the most famous and spectacular limestone karst rock formations.

Yangshuo is located in south China, about 600 km north west of Guangzhou and Hong Kong. With an international airport in Guilin, Yangshuo, at 66 km from Guilin is now easily accessible to the rest of the world. The Guilin airport has direct connections to Hong Kong and Bangkok amongst other international airports.

While flying in from the Hong Kong direction you might already get a glimpse of the limestone mountains. The airport, located west of Guilin city is also the north west border of the limestone mountain area. Traveling by taxi from the airport to Guilin gives you already an intro to what you will see later on.

The way to Yangshuo

There are two ways you can travel to Yangshuo from Guilin. One goes over land, the other via the Li Jiang river. Personally I like the river cruise, because that is what it is, as an entrance to Yangshuo. The start of the cruise is nothing much. But after some time the landscape gets more and more spectacular until it reaches its summit in Xingping where boats have a stop and you can enjoy a drink in one of the restaurants.

This doesn't mean the last part of the river to Yangshuo, another 20km or so, is not interesting. Contrary. This part is beautiful and I can recommend it in any season although, obviously in the summer months, when beautiful clear weather it's spectacular.

The road from Guilin to Yangshuo does not offer such spectacular sights, thus many people decide to come through the river and leave via the road.

There is another way to come to Yangshuo, from the south. Hong Kong and Guangzhou are not too far, a night bus ride away. The old road from Guangzhou to Wuzhou and then north to Yangshuo is no longer so much in use but it is a very nice and partly scenic road. However, as many travelers from Guangzhou or Hong Kong come with night buses, they won't see much of the scenery anyway. The newer road is much more scenic. Cyclists travel this road too but it's a busier road. There are several towns with some very scenic areas though nothing comes close to Yangshuo.

Travelers from south China, Nanning and Liuzhou usually take the express bus or the train to Guilin but there's another road, crossing the hills and come just south of Yangshuo together in Lipu. Cyclist usually take 2 days from Liuzhou to Yangshuo this way. There are sleeper buses doing this journey but it's slow and unpleasant.

The limestone mountains

Most people come for two reasons to Yangshuo: see the limestone rock formations and do some cycling, hiking, rockclimbing or other outdoor activities here. Moonhill is one of the most famous and most visited rocks in the area. It's located at the main road some kilometers south of Yangshuo town center. But there's plenty more to see.

Take a raft just north of Moonhill and drift westwards with the limestone mountains on both sides. More serene you can not get it. Or go to Xingping, another spectacular area with plenty of opportunities for rock climbing and hiking. But the best way is simply to take a bicycle and cycle in the area. With of without a guide, you will find small villages where time seems to have stand still.

Others come simply here to hang out, enjoy a westernized piece of China, where bread, coffee and pizza together with plenty of Chinese speaking English make life easy. True, in China these days there are more places where you find these western things. Yangshuo still has the name as a backpackers paradise and it's still worth the visit for a couple of days.

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Backpacking is a popular method of holidaying, enjoyed by all ages - from students to young professionals.

Whether it be trekking through Thailand, surfing the coasts of Australia or exploring the more spiritual side of India, these trips offer the opportunity to get away from it all and experience other cultures.

But travelling on a budget means that backpackers have an increased risk of crime and suffering some kind of injury abroad - from slips and trips to nips and bites from the local fauna.

It is important to ensure that suitable travel insurance is in place before setting off on such an excursion. Before setting off, travellers should be wary of the costs involved and also ensure they have the correct type of cover for their trip.

There are a number of different cheap travel insurance policies which are specially tailored to meet the needs of backpackers. These policies cover a wide range of factors associated with travelling, and can vary in timescales - ranging from a week to two years.

Backpacker policies can prove to be more affordable than single trip travel insurance policies. It is advisable that potential packers double check the policies and ensure that a number of factors are in place to help cover them through their trip:

Emergency Medical Cover - helps cover any costs in the event of you requiring medical assistance
Rescue and Repatriation - helps to cover costs in the event of a medical emergency rescue
Baggage and Possessions Cover - an essential part of your cover that helps cover costs of valuables should they be lost or stolen during the trip. Check that the policy also covers admin costs should your passport need to be reissued.
Personal Money - provides compensation cover for any lost cash or travellers' cheques, although the limit tends to be low
Personal Liability - legal cover for any accident or injury you might accidentally inflict on another person
Holiday Cancellation - should you need to cut your trip short early due to unforeseen circumstances, provides compensation for any monies lost as a result
Travel Delay - helps provide compensation for any money lost due to a delayed departure, although this may only apply after a certain amount of time

A wide range of special cover options can be selected to cater for the needs of a backpacking excursion - including protection to cover extreme sports such as bungee jumping and scuba diving, as well as winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding.

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Finally, you are able to relax on that long-awaited vacation. You stretch your arms above your head as your eyes take in the beauty of your surroundings. It is so nice to finally see the fruits of your labors. You take a step away from your comfortable chair, and step smoothly onto a piece of broken glass. Clutching your throbbing foot you sit back down and notice an official of some sort is trying to get your attention, apparently your luggage never arrived either. Your head starts to spin, and just as decide you have no idea what to do, your cell phone rings and your wife tells you that one of your children is terribly sick and needs medical attention now. This could have all been avoided.

Travel Insurance

If you are thinking about a vacation from the UK it is time for you to value travel insurance. Travel insurance allows you to have more confidence and calm while you travel, granting you an excellent rest instead of thinking about some unknown calamity that you could fall victim to. Before deciding on any travel insurance it is always best to consider three points first.

- Where are you going?
- How long will you be gone?
- Who are you going with?

When visiting foreign countries you should focus on researching worldwide travel insurance companies. Typically, these kind of insurance companies provide almost global protection to help you enjoy a safe trip. Such policies may have coverage for death as a result of an accident, disability, loss of credit cards or currency, identification documents, luggage, vehicle damage and other such incidents. Medical coverage for numerous sports, ranging from deep sea diving to rock climbing, also can be included based upon your need.

For those who travel frequently, multi trip travel insurance is a more suitable variant. Such policies also tend to cover sports accidents or medical emergencies, personal items and funds, travel delays and others. Trip duration for these types of policies tends to be from 45 to 90 days, but the usual total minimum coverage duration is at least one year.

Some like to travel accompanied by a large group of friends or with a group of co-workers, group travel insurance is designed specifically for this purpose. It gives the possibility to enjoy your travelling experience with fewer worries. Group travel insurance covers more than one person, but usually tends to offer less intensive coverage. While it may cover more people, it usually does not offer the same amount of coverage per person that a policy designed for one person would cover. Even still, this is the ideal choice for those travelling with a group of non-relatives of four or more people.

Family travel insurance is an excellent method to insure your family is safe during your travels. Of course, it is always especially important to be absolutely sure of the credibility of your policy when travelling with your family. Policies of all kinds can be offered for you and your family. The three questions above along with your budget will determine as to what kind of policy you will receive. Children tend to make travelling a little more risky due to their natures; luckily, it is not unusual for family policies to cover small children for free.

A variety of web sites allow busy people in the UK to find travel insurance online. You can arrange quotes from multiple companies and quickly compare the different policies to decide which will best fit your needs. Also, you can confer with a travel agent in person to help determine what exactly you need.

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