Yangshuo

I understand what you are saying. Altho I didn't have the experiences you did (I was on a 'culinary tour') I remember Yangshuo, in 1984, as a small quiet town. The only English sign I saw was one that said: "Philately Society"! The rooms we stayed in had beds with mosquito screens around them, and the stores were void of hustlers. At the boat landing, only a very few people were there.

I've been back 4 times since, and the place has changed to the point that it was like night and day. The last time I tried to find the Yangshuo that I had seen. I found the hotel, but it wasn't the same. The boat landing was a crowded nightmare.

I, too am glad I went when I did. I still think of Yangshuo as when I first saw it.