A City to Mountain Girls Trip

My best friend Lily and I had been planning this trip for months. She's the one who does all the research and finds the best food spots, and I'm the one who takes the photos and keeps track of our train schedules. It works out pretty well.

Our guide in Guizhou was a woman named Xiao Zhou, probably in her late twenties, with short hair and a pair of round glasses that made her look like a grad student. She was quiet at first, but once we started talking about history and local traditions, she completely lit up. She had studied folklore in university and knew all these fascinating details about the places we visited, not just the standard guidebook stuff. She also had a great eye for spotting little things we would have walked right past, like a hidden carving on a doorway or a specific type of flower that only grew in that region. She was also a foodie and kept telling us we had to try the real local flavors, not just the tourist versions.

We landed in Guangzhou and went straight to Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street. It was crowded but in an energetic way. The old arcade buildings lined both sides with colorful signs hanging out, and the smell of grilled food came from every corner. We immediately found a stall selling oyster omelet and shared one, then went back for another because it was so good. Lily dropped a piece on her white shirt and spent the next ten minutes trying to scrub it off with a napkin. She gave up eventually and just wore the stain like a badge of honor. We walked past the Shishi Sacred Heart Cathedral, this huge Gothic church that looked totally out of place surrounded by all the Chinese buildings. We only saw it from outside, but Lily still made me take like twenty photos of her in front of it.

The next day we went to the Guangdong Museum. I was really excited because I love learning about local history and traditional crafts. They had this whole section on Guangdong's folk art, with elaborate ivory carvings and porcelain that was so delicate it looked like it could break if you breathed on it. Lily actually got into it too, especially the exhibit on Cantonese opera costumes, which were covered in shimmering beads and embroidery. We spent way longer there than I expected. Then we went up the Canton Tower. From the top, the whole city spread out below us with the river winding through it like a silver thread. That night we did the Pearl River night cruise. The buildings along the river were all lit up, but honestly I was more interested in the breeze on my face than the lights. We just sat on the deck and talked about random things while the boat moved slowly through the water.

We took a high speed train to Guiyang the next morning. We both slept through most of the ride because we stayed up too late the night before eating street food. Xiao Zhou met us at the train station with a sign that had our names on it, which we thought was a nice touch. On the way to the hotel, she started talking about Guizhou food. She said the province was famous for sour and spicy flavors, and that locals used all kinds of wild ingredients that you wouldn't find anywhere else. I was already getting hungry just listening to her. That evening, she took us to a small local restaurant away from the tourist areas.

When we sat down, Xiao Zhou handed us the menu and pointed out a few dishes. One of them was a fish dish called Kaili sour fish soup. She said it was a local specialty. I looked at the description and saw that the fish was cooked in a fermented broth. I had never thought of fish as something that could be sour. It sounded strange to me. Lily looked at another dish that was covered in red chili peppers and shook her head immediately. "That one looks way too spicy," she said. I agreed and we both decided to skip that one. Xiao Zhou said we should at least try the sour fish soup, so we ordered it.

When the soup arrived in a big clay pot, bubbling and red with chili oil, it looked spicy too. I was a bit nervous. I scooped up a small piece of fish and some broth. I took a bite, and to my surprise, it was actually really good. The fish was tender and flaky, and the broth was tangy and savory at the same time. The sourness was not what I expected. It wasn't like vinegar or lemon. It was deeper and more complex. Lily watched me and asked, "Is it weird?" I told her to just try it. She took a tiny sip and her eyes widened. "It's sour!" she said, like she couldn't believe it. But then she took another sip, and another. "I actually like this," she admitted. We ended up finishing most of the pot. Xiao Zhou also ordered a stir fried dish with bracken, which she told us was a wild fern picked from the mountains. I had never eaten anything like it before. It had a slightly earthy taste and a crunchy texture, and it soaked up all the spicy sauce perfectly. Lily was more cautious and stuck to the rice, but I kept going back for more bracken. Xiao Zhou smiled and said, "You eat like a local."

In Guiyang we went to Qianling Mountain Park. There were monkeys everywhere, just sitting on the railings and climbing trees and watching people pass by. One monkey came right up to Lily and she screamed so loud that the monkey actually looked startled and jumped back. I couldn't stop laughing. She said it was because the monkey moved too suddenly. I said she was just easily scared. Xiao Zhou laughed too and told us the monkeys were used to tourists but could be a bit cheeky. She also pointed out a few species of birds that we would have missed otherwise, which showed how much she cared about nature.

We also visited the Jiaxiu Pavilion, an old wooden building sitting on a rock in the middle of a river. It was peaceful and beautiful, with willow branches hanging down over the water and old stone bridges nearby. I loved how it blended into the landscape instead of standing out. Lily took a million photos there, but honestly I didn't mind because the place deserved it. Xiao Zhou told us the history of the pavilion and the legends about why it was built on that exact spot, which made the view even more meaningful.

The next day was Huangguoshu Waterfall and it was the highlight of the whole trip. The waterfall is massive, much bigger than I expected. The water crashes down with so much force that the mist rises up and covers everything nearby. We walked along the paths and both got completely soaked. Lily had bought a plastic raincoat but it ripped the moment she put it on, so she was just wet and slightly annoyed the whole time. I laughed at her and she splashed water back at me. We found a spot behind the waterfall where you could stand in a cave and watch the water fall right in front of you. It was so loud we couldn't hear each other talk, so we just pointed at things and nodded. There was also a small temple built into the cliff nearby, which I thought was beautiful, this tiny human structure tucked into the wild rock. Xiao Zhou told us the temple was dedicated to a local deity who was said to protect the waterfall, and she spoke about it with such genuine reverence that we both felt a little moved.

The fifth day we went to Loong Palace, which is a karst cave with underground rivers. This was probably my favorite place because I love caves. The stalactites hanging from the ceiling looked like frozen icicles, and the underground pools were so clear you could see straight to the bottom. We took a boat ride through one of the underground rivers, gliding through narrow passages and open chambers. Xiao Zhou pointed out shapes in the rocks and told us the local legends attached to each one. Lily said one looked like a bunny and I said it looked like a mushroom. Xiao Zhou smiled and said both were correct, because the cave was meant to be seen differently by different eyes. After that we went to Qingyan Ancient Town, which is this old stone town with cobblestone streets and ancient gates. I loved walking along the old city wall and looking at the traditional houses with their carved wooden windows. We bought sticky rice cakes from a little shop and ate them while sitting on some stone steps. A few local kids came by and stared at us curiously, then ran away giggling when we waved at them. Xiao Zhou told us about the town's history and how it had been preserved over the centuries, and her passion for cultural heritage was so genuine that we found ourselves hanging on every word.

Our last day was free so we just wandered around Guiyang. We found a small market selling local crafts and I bought a tiny embroidered pouch as a souvenir. Lily got some dried tea leaves that she had no idea how to brew, but she bought them anyway because the packaging was pretty. Xiao Zhou joined us for a bit and showed us her favorite tea shop, where the owner brewed us a sample and explained the different varieties. She also took us to a street stall that sold a spicy cold noodle dish. It was sour and numbing, with pickled vegetables and crushed peanuts on top. Lily tried a small bite and immediately started fanning her mouth. I finished my whole bowl and went back for half of hers. Xiao Zhou laughed and said, "You really do eat like a local." The driver took us to the airport and we flew home, tired but happy. Lily already started looking up trips to Yunnan on the plane. I told her to let me recover first, but honestly I'm already excited about the idea. And I secretly hoped we could have Xiao Zhou as our guide again.