At 7:00 a.m. the speakers in our cabin started to play Kenny G. Ian had warned us about this in Hong Kong and sure enough, at breakfast in Guilin and every morning on the Yangtse cruise, it was Kenny G. It could be that the Chinese think that Kenny G. is just the bomb (much like the French with Jerry Lewis). Alternatively, they might think that all westerners like Kenny G. Of course, it is also possible that they just hate us all. After we bombed their Embassy in Serbia, I'd put my money on option C.

So we headed to breakfast, which was buffet style. The food was pretty good, especially the watermelon. After breakfast we stopped at the Ghost City. It is an old temple that is located next to a hokey, new tourist attraction that is in the shape of a giant Buddha or something. The head is a large building. It is quite disturbing.

The City of Ghosts is a temple that represents Hell. It includes three tests that you must pass in order to prove that you are a good person and deserve to go to Heaven. The first test is to walk up about two-dozen steps in one breath without looking back. The second test is to step over a doorway with a tall sill, without touching the sill. If you step over with your right foot first, in your next life you will be a woman, and if you lead with you left foot you will be a man. The final test is to stand balanced on one foot (left if you are male, right if female) on a small, smooth, round stone. You must raise your other foot into the air, look forward and up, and hold that position for 3 seconds.

The walk up to the top was pleasant. You could wuss out and take the chairlift for ¥10 to go up and ¥5 to come back down (roughly $2 roundtrip). Near the top there were about a dozen stone sculptures of demons and a couple of other amusements. There was a 400 lb. stone in the shape of half a sphere. You were supposed to get it up on top of an eight inch, bell-shaped column. If you succeed, it proves that you are a faithful husband. The trick is that you can't lift the stone because it is too heavy. So, you must roll it around the column (fairly quickly) until it is positioned just right and then tilt it up onto the column. There is a guy who demonstrates how to do this, for ¥1 per person, and then you can try your luck. Ian suggested that we avoid this, as having your finger(s) rolled over by a 400 lb. stone is unpleasant.

There are also large brass bowls filled with water. The bowls have two handles on top. You wash your hands in the water and then rub the handles. This causes the water in the bowl to vibrate and creates little spouts on one side. After reaching the top and starting back down you get a tea demonstrations and tasting. There were five types of tes, including Oolong and Black tea. As luck would have it, all of the teas were also for sale!

We all made it back to the the bus . . . except for the tour leader for the other English-speaking tour, who arrived ten minutes late. As we headed through the city and back to the ship, we saw an enormous pig on a cart, and another being walked down the street. These pigs must have been 4 - 4.5" tall and 400-500 lbs.!

Once again we were the last bus back to the boat. It is good to be consistent! The afternoon was spent watching vaguely interesting scenery. It is certainly nothing like the dramatic karst formations on the Li River. We had lunch and dinner on the ship, and a cocktail party that I skipped. There was some entertainment, including musical chairs, which I lost at. I got to bed early.

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