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Guangxi China ~ China Provinces

Travel Pictures Wuzhou, Wuzhou Snake Repository, Guangxi Zhuang province

In Guangxi China, I travelled to the city of Wuzhou (pronounced WOO Joe), a ten hour trip by bus from Nanning to the Guangxi China Wuzhou Snake Repository.

Guangxi Zhuang is an Autonomous Region, similar to a province of China. In Guangxi, we also went to Nanning Green Park, the Nanning Zoo, and YiLing Guangxi caves.

Wuzhou is west of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton), about 8 hours by road, and a few more hours if coming from Hong Kong. I'd come here with a group of Canadians who were adopting children (see Guangxi Provinces travel story).  See China Travel Clothing and Travel in China information, and another China provinces story and pictures of a  tour in Hainan. There's a very good movie available on Amazon The Children of Huang Shi and China guidebooks, etc here


Bridge over the Western River, Wuzhou, Guangxi China Bridge over the Western river, Wuzhou Guangxi zhuang china bridge over western river

Late one afternoon, and early every morning, I could look out the window of my hotel (the Wu Feng) and see a steady stream of traffic on this bridge.

One day I walked out onto the start of the bridge, just to get a closer look.

 

River view from the Wu Feng Hotel in WuzhouRiver in Wuzhou China Guagnxi Province SAR

This picture of Wuzhou shows the river view more directly west, and from above than the above picture.

This is a different river than the one in the first photo; this river flows south from Guilin.

Notice the high, steep river banks. In times of flood, usually Spring and early summer, this river overflows its banks.

Hard to believe, but I've seen it on television news. I remember that the Wufeng Hotel lobby was accessed by a wide staircase that climbed about 12 feet above the street level to keep above the flood waters in the lobby.

Close view Wuzhou river water level snapshot wuzhou china river at water level under bridge

The view from near the river's edge shows a closer view of this bridge.

On the Riverbank Path ~ Wuzhou Guangxi China path leads to river in wuzhou Guangxi

To take this picture, I walked across the street from the Wu Feng hotel, and part way down the path leading to the water's edge.

In early morning, until about 10 a.m., I could see a number of people swimming across the river here.

I had no idea if this was for exercise, or a formal training program, or simply a faster way to cross.

Wuzhou Streets and Bikes ~ Typical Guangxi Scene bikes on the streets in Wuzhou China

I took this photo looking down from the bridge approach (at same spot as the photo on my contact page, link above).

I totally loved the Old China images of Guangxi that these streets invoked.

Much of the day, there was a misty quality to the air, and it lent an air of mystery to many of these older streets. Several times, I felt I had stepped into a movie location for time period several hundred years in the past.

Of course, up in the business district, the busy streets with metal center posts to prevent jay walking, and the elevated pedestrian overpasses, number of buses, trucks and cars and shops made me realize I was in a modern-day city.

In Wuzhou, we could buy the same brand of yogurt as at home, the same sodas, water etc. But the fruit was lovely -- those tiny sugar bananas and sweet little oranges.

Wuzhou Guangxi Snake Repository Pond and Garden

Wuzhou snake repository garden pond

It was a very hot October day when three of us set out in a tiny cab with our guide to have a look at the infamou Wuzhou Snake Repository.

Outside the buildings, a garden with green pond water and intricate bridges made a nice change from the building with the snakes.

Other tourists here were from Japan, other parts of China, and the U.S.

Most foreign visitors to Guangxi go to the more-famous Guilin, for the caves.

Cobra ~ Wuzhou Snake Repository in Guangxi Zhuangcobra viper China Quangxi

Closely woven reed (bamboo? rattan?) cages hold the more poisonous snakes, though from what I can remember at the time, almost all of these snakes were deadly.

The handlers seemed very very laid back, and not the least worried as they flopped the snakes around to show the visitors. A commentary in an Asian language told others what they were seeing.

The best we Canadians got was a rough translation from our guide.

Burmese Python photo at the Snake Repository

Burmese python Wuzhou china Snake Repository

 

The sign informed that this snake is a Burmese python.

These pythons are one of the 6 largest snakes in the world, usually about 23 feet ( 7 meters) when full grown.

You can see in the picture that this python has a much stronger looking cage.

Burmese pythons are native to southeast Asia, and like the water, as well as trees.

I, for one, would not like to be walking in the countryside and come across one of these!

Viper Snake at Wuzhou Snake Repository

viper snake at wuzhou repository china

My guide did not know the English word for this snake, only to refer to it as a viper snake.

I took 'viper' to be a generic term for any poisonous snake. However, when I search online for viper snake, I do find decriptions that match this snake for colour, size, habitat and location.

It's such a pretty color! The better to camouflage itself on the jungle floor.

Snake Handler repository Guangxi China

Wuzhou Repository Snake Handler China Guangxi Zhuang SAR

 

This woman handled the snakes to display to the tourists.

Can you see from the expression on her face what I mean by referring to the snake handlers as being laid back?

She went from cage to cage, looking almost bored.

Yet signs in the snake building warned us in no uncertain language to Stay Back and Keep Our Hands to Ourselves!

More Guangxi and China Provinces Info ~ Click a Pic and Go!

 

Pond and bridge in a garden in Wuzhou China.Green Park, Nanning China - stone bridge over lake.Detail of a Cchinese man in painting in a museum in Haikou Hainan China. musicians on stage at mid Autumn Festival performance, Nanning Guangxi China Entrance to YiLing Caves, near Nanning CGuangxi Zhuang hina.Handler with seated young  Elephant at Nanning China Zoo. in Beijing, China, a man rides a tuk tuk on a busy street. Bridge over river in Guangxi province in china

 



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