Treasure Cave

We walked back towards the Treasure Cave and made our approach to the crag at the bottom of the slope below the cave itself. Most of the routes around the stairwell were graded from 6a+ to 6b, although there were some very easy ones, as low as 5, at the base of the staiwell. The problem was all of the routes were completely soaked. We climbed up the stairs and entered the gate, eager to at least attempt a few of the easier routes, but were ultimately forced to bail because they were all simply too slick. Apparently the moisture can sometimes blow into the cave when the rain is very heavy. Some of the ceiling routes looked like they would have been an absolute joy to climb, but all we could do at the time was to head back down to our bicycles.

The Treasure Cave opening

View from the Treasure Cave

The guidebook had mentioned that the neighbouring crag, 'Twin Gates Mountain', remained fairly dry in the rain. It was getting late, but we decided to cycle there to have a quick look nonetheless. We cycled back to the school and turned left there to head north. The gentle drizzle was surprisingly pleasant and cooling, and the towering karst towers that surrounded us left me feeling somewhat tranquil. Sacred Lotus flowers (Nelumbo nucifera) fringed the path, and I observed the water droplets from the drizzle sliding effortlessly down the large leaves to slowly accumulate in the centre. Lotus flowers have the ability to grow in all sorts of water conditions, and have been found to be able to remove heavy metals and other polluting compounds from the water!

I love the lotus because while growing from mud, it is unstained

11th century Confucian scholar Zhou Dunyi

Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)

After having a quick look at the crags of Twin Gates Mountain , we made our way back to Yangshuo. We were tired and hungry, and just couldn't wait to dig in to another delicious meal of stir fry (CNY13)!

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Day 1 & 2 Expenditure

Next (Day 03) : Pantao Hill