You can tell YangShuo is full of ExPats because this is one of the few places that sell T-Shirts. At most of China’s tourist attractions one thing lacking in the souvenir department is the destination T-Shirt. The merchants in YangShou have learned to profit from the Westerners urge to advertise where they have been. I bought two. A Mickey Mao’s T-Shirt and a Chinese Character T-shirt that says my favorite and most frequently used phase “I don’t understand”
Side Note: YangShuo appeals to the 20-30 age group that like the adventures of biking, hiking, climbing, and sleeping in hostels. Therefore there are lots of bars and many restaurants that make an attempt at serving western style food. We had a horrible pizza at a Climbers hangout named Karsts but a great burrito across the street at Mickeys Place. We had heard that YangShuo was famous for banana pancakes. We tried them and they were good but they were really banana crepes and no maple syrup. I guess that is one of the biggest differences between China and the US. In almost any American town you can easily find good Chinese, Italian and Mexican restaurants. But here it’s mostly Chinese. I love Chinese food but I also love Italian, Tex-Mex and Western. I am definitely ready for some Mateo’s Calzone, Moondoggie’s Pizza, Crab Trap’s fried shrimp, El Potro’s burrito, and of course Willie’s Weenee Wagon!
Another Side Note: Even the universities around here do not have sweatshirts or t-shirts advertising their alma mater. And No School Mascots…… Such a wasted potential market…
