Originally Posted by susiesan

We are still in Yangshuo. Woke up to beautiful blue sky (finally see it!), less humidity. The perfect day to rent bikes and go rafting on the Yulong River.

Off we go, about 45 minute bike ride to Dragon Bridge to board rafts. About halfway there we stop to sip some water and a lady comes up and says "bamboo raft" and points in the direction to go (which we do know from a map supplied by Outside Inn).

Now she's leading/following us. I know she's making sure we go to her husbands' raft; I know the score. She's not just guiding us out of the goodness of her heart. So we stop and chat, she asks again about bamboo rafts, I say yes, and how much. She says RMB 200 for 2 people plus the bikes. I know the going rate is 150. She asks if we're American, I say yes, she says my Chinese is very good.

We arrive at the raft docks. I ask how much. She says 200 , I say too expensive, give me discount, okay. This is all in Chinese. She keeps saying 200, I keep saying 150. Then she's at 180, I'm still 150. back and forth. She calls her husband over, he types 160 on his phone, asks okay, and holds out his hand to shake on the deal. I hesitate...then okay and shake on 160.

Observation: I find it easier to negotiate with women as long as we both have a smile on our face. Plus even speaking a little Mandarin puts it all on a different level. I think they realize this mei gua ren knows what she's doing.

Rafting was lovely, quiet, relaxing. Scenery is stunning, meili. The raft man sensed we were in no rush and went very slow. He pointed out good places to take photos. At the end, he did not hover looking for a tip, but I wasn't going to give it anyways. Nice way to spend our last day in Yangshuo.