Wada Hostel

I didn’t think we would like Guangzhou, but I was hopeful that I would be wrong. I wasn’t. We cancelled the rest of our reservation, got some train tickets, and caught a high-speed train ticket to Guilin.

Guilin is in the region of China I have been looking forward to visiting for years. It is famous for its karst topography. There are lot of caves and what I like to call “gum drop” mountains. I spent the majority of the train trip looking at the beautiful natural scenery and the farming villages.

We are staying the Wada Hostel while we find an apartment. It is highly rated on HostelWorld, has nearly all of the amenities I look for (it’s only missing a kitchen), and it is super cheap; in fact, a single night at our GuangZhou hostel was almost as much as three nights here!

One of the major things I look for in a hostel is one with a good vibe. This place has a great vibe. The staff is friendly, the common areas are large and comfortable, and there is a bar (how else will I get the courage to meet new people?).

The only down side with the common area is the lack of kitchen. There is a large and tasty looking menu, but it is quite expensive compared to what I can find on the street. I would have liked to have the option of purchasing my food, and then cooking and eating it at the hostel.

For $8, we got two bunk beds in a four person room. The room is quite clean for Chinese standards and the amenities are great. Each bed comes with a locker and lock, another locker with a charging station inside of it, a privacy curtain, lamp, and a heater blanket! The room also has a private bathroom.

So far we only have one roommate. Yu is a gentleman from Korea who is half-way through his 10 day trip around China to see some sights and practice his Chinese. His English is quite good and he has been a friendly and polite roommate so far. The desk girl told me they were expecting quite a few more guests this evening though, so maybe we will get another mate.

So this is our home for the next few days. I think it is likely we will stay in Guilin for the rest of the month, but I don’t know for sure. Everything will depend on what we find for apartments this weekend. Until then, here is my work space: