We arrived in Guilin and checked into our nice, clean room at The Backstreet Youth Hostel. Right away, we started chatting with the staff about getting a ride out to the Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, which is a famous sight outside of Guilin. No other tourists had signed up for the trip we wanted. Many people prefer guided tours around the terraces with typical megaphone-toting guides, but we just wanted a ride there, hike through some villages, check out the views on our own, and then come back to Guilin. Luckily, it was Wednesday, which is “dumpling night” at the hostel, giving us plenty of time to meet other backpackers and gather the six people needed to fill the ride.
Dumpling night is a popular activity at many of China’s best hostels and guesthouses. This was our first time arriving on dumpling night, and we quickly understood why it’s so popular. Rolling out dough, stuffing the rolls, and then eating them was a fun and social experience. It gave everyone a chance to connect and share travel stories, and we also got to chat with the hostel staff, who enjoyed the event as much as we did. We made about 200 dumplings, and after the staff steamed them, we all gathered around a big table to eat and plan our trip for the next day. We ended up forming a great group and decided to leave the next morning at 8 am.
We woke up to the sound of raindrops on the tin roofs and saw a thick fog enveloping the town. We hoped the mist would clear as we climbed higher into the mountains toward the rice terraces. Our group, consisting of two Canadians (us), two Americans, two Italians, two Slovenians, one Austrian, and one Chinese guy named Phoenix, piled into the minivan. Phoenix took it upon himself to act as our tour guide, even though we had organized the trip to avoid guides. When we arrived, the rain was pouring, and it looked unlikely that we’d see any rice terraces. Despite the fog preventing us from seeing more than ten feet ahead, we got off at Pigan Village. Since the road to Daxai was closed due to landslides, we were told Pigan was just as good, but the views were unimpressive at our arrival.
Phoenix immediately took control, worried that someone might stray and get hurt. He led us to the top viewpoint, where we were greeted with more dense fog. Feeling a bit down, we sat at a café and ate the breakfast we had packed, as it was clear hiking wasn’t an option that day. The rain continued for hours, but occasionally the fog would part slightly, revealing small patches of rice. We’d rush to take a glimpse and snap a photo before returning to the dry café. The Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces are quite like the ones we hoped to see in Banaue, Philippines: massive feats of human engineering carved from mountainsides thousands of years ago to harvest rice. We were excited to see them, especially after missing Banaue due to bad weather.
Finally, patience paid off. After waiting for about three hours, the fog lifted, giving us a miraculous view of the terraces rising up to 1000 meters. The brilliant reflections from the calm waters in the terraces were breathtaking. Everyone took as many photos as possible, fearing the fog might return. Satisfied with our photos, we piled back into the bus and went out for dinner. Phoenix aggressively ordered our food at the restaurant, and soon we had a table full of delicious Chinese dishes. We exchanged travel stories, and Phoenix shared insights about Chinese culture. Overall, it was a great day: the company was wonderful when the weather was bad, and the views were sensational when the fog lifted. The Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces definitely lived up to their reputation and should be on everyone’s China itinerary.