West St is a very old street which has successfully managed to retain the old world atmosphere with modern retail. The buildings have retained the old exterior designs while being modern inside.

The focal point of everyone's visit to Yangshuo is West St for the shopping and the restaurants which often double as coffee shops and bars. There is a huge variety of all the usual things for avid shoppers like jewellery, handbags, clothes and shoes. However there is also a huge variety of local craft work by ethnic minorities. Their handbags are of excellent quality with a huge range of designs to choose from. I have bought three of them. You can watch silk cones being opened to relieve their treasure of silk which is made into quilts that are available for sale. Silversmiths make jewellery as you watch and offer a huge variety of products at very good prices. Both Tibetan & Buddhist goods are available. Local artists have a huge variety of art work for sale.

As the town has grown, side streets have filled up with more shops and restaurants giving visitors a wider choice. It does not matter what time of year you visit you can always find both summer and winter clothes and shoes available in a wide variety sizes. During the day West St becomes rather quiet at times, but in the evening colourful street stalls are set up and vendors come out to sell snacks. The area almost takes on a carnival atmosphere and holiday time can be very crowded. An interesting feature is the many tee-shirt artists: they will paint your face on your shirt for you.

But best of all it's a great place to go for a wander - do some window shopping then stop at one of the restaurants for a drink of your choice and watch the passing parade. You will see people from all corners of the world and really feel at home in China.

One day I was doing this with a student friend when we were joined by an elderly woman from Switzerland who wanted to escape her tour group for awhile. She told us that there had been a picture of the Li River on the wall in her childhood home and it was her aim to take the trip one day. That day she had done it to celebrate her birthday. I asked her how she felt about it and she said it was everything she had expected and was so happy she had finally made it.