Guangxi China ~ Wuzhou Travel Pictures
Snake Repository makes unusual attraction in south China
I travelled to the city of Wuzhou (pronounced WOO Joe), in Guangxi China, a ten-hour trip by bus from Nanning. I'd come here with a group of Canadians who were adopting children (see China Provinces travel story). Guangxi Zhuang is an Autonomous Region of China, in the temperate south. (see also Nanning Green Park page). Wuzhou is located about 8 hours west (by charter bus) of Guangzhou, and near Hong Kong . At the time, the only attraction listed in my guidebook (admittedly, out of date at the time) was the Guangxi China Wuzhou Snake Repository. Here's a current list of China travel guides
. My pictures of some of the snakes are posted on this page.
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Bridge over the Western River, Wuzhou, Guangxi China 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 one this bridge. One day I walked out onto the start of the bridge, just to get a closer look. Come to think of it, I use that picture on my contact Karen Zabawa page (yes, that's me!). This view is looking roughly southwest, back towards Nanning. |
Wuzhou River view from the Wu Feng Hotel  This picture is the river view more directly west, and from above. This is a different river than the one in the first photo -- this one comes south from Guilin. In the photo, you can see how steep the river banks are. 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 the flood waters out of the lobby. |
Close up at river water level  The view from near the river's edge shows a closer view of this Wuzhou bridge. |
Wuzhou Riverbank Path ~ Guangxi China  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  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 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,pedestrain overpasses, buses, trucks and cars and shops made me realize I was in a modern-day China 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 Snake Repository Pond and Garden  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  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  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 in Wuzhou
 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. |
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