At the silk factory we saw this woman working with the double cocoons of the silk worms. Single cocoons are used for making cloth and the double cocoons are stretched out and made into quilts. She soaks them then stretches them out over the smaller frame. Then they are stretched out over the larger frame. Finally four people stretch it out to the size of a quilt. Layers and layers are added until there are about 150 layers (I think that is what they said. Then a cover is put on. 
These silk quilts are supposed to be wonderful. They should never be washed - just air them out outside.
These silk quilts are supposed to be wonderful. They should never be washed - just air them out outside. The Li River Cruise was beautiful. The landscape is amazing. Three hundred million years ago the area was under the sea. Two hundred million years ago it re-emerged and the exposed limestone was sculpted by rain and wind. Over the last two million years the karst peaks were sliced apart and the 
result is scenery that looks like it was taken directly off a Chinese scroll painting. That is the scientific explanation.
result is scenery that looks like it was taken directly off a Chinese scroll painting. That is the scientific explanation. The myth is a little different. Long ago when the South China Sea threatened to engulf Guilin the gods decided to act. They would move the northern hills as a floodgate. The gods transformed the hills into goats in order to herd them south, but a fierce wind scattered the 
goats willy-nilly down the river where they were changed back into the unruly peaks we now see along the river.
goats willy-nilly down the river where they were changed back into the unruly peaks we now see along the river.The local people still paddle up and down the river on bamboo rafts. The rafts don't look like very much but we saw several loaded down. Some even
had three people on them - some sitting on chairs.
There are groves of bamboo along the river banks. These trees in the lower right photo are bamboo. They are beautiful
trees. I don't know how many photos I took of them. I was amazed that I was seeing real bamboo trees. They just look so different.
trees. I don't know how many photos I took of them. I was amazed that I was seeing real bamboo trees. They just look so different. The river cruise alone was worth the trip to China. We had taken photo after photo and ooohhed and aahhed over the scenery when our guide Lily came up to us and told us to get our cameras ready because the beautiful part was coming up!
