By Annie Wei (Beijing Today)
Updated: 2007-11-02 10:26

Living in a city like Beijing for too long can make one sick, so everyone needs the May and October golden weeks to stay sane. There are hushed rumors they may be cut to three days in the near future. Holidays are good, but with 1.3 billion people taking the same week off is too much for any country. Here is one holiday you can squeeze into a single October weekend.

Downtown Guilin, tasty fish and a river view

When dining, this reporter's motto is to follow the locals. A high school friend who works in Guilin and is well-connected with all sorts of tourism discounts helped e plan my culinary adventure.

Teaming up with him was not originally part of the plan. As a child, friends seem like the kind of people who will always be there for you. As an adult, you realize it is not true. He saw through this reporter's "I miss you" and answered with a, "You're full of Guilin, experienced a big temperature drop, and the night was pretty chilly. The friend suggested going out for fish. Most popular fish restaurants are located along the river, an area heavily under construction. The fish was really fresh, and it was a very local dining experience. The waves broke along the banks and the mountains in the distance were silhouetted by the moon.

Another very local dining experience can be found by Guangxi Normal School. Any cab driver will know the way. Locals enjoy spicy hotpot served with a local Liquan beer. The beer is fresh and has light taste, and goes well with the spicy, southern food.

After dinner, take a long walk along the river at Bingjia Lu. It's a wide and long road with well-grown trees, nice bookstore and lovely cafes and restaurants.

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