My name is Andrew Osnach, and I came to Yangshuo from Canada to rockclimb. I didn't have much money and was tired of paying for accomodation. One of the teachers at Oral English who I met climbing recommened I volunteer there and I am so happy I did. Not only do you get a cozy room with a private bathroom, there is good authentic Chinese food for lunch and dinner 5 days a week! It is a great way to experience Yangshuo on a budget. If you want to get out of town on the weekends and are tired of overpriced tourist traps you are encouraged to get out with the students as well. I really have only good things to say about Oral English. I thought the volunteer hours might be boring, but after a month or so here I actually look forward to them. It is nice to have something to do in the evenings, and there is still time to get out after if your feeling up to it. The staff is very helpful and if you need help around town or with Chinese, any of the staff or students will be keen to point you in the right direction. It may not be in Lonely Planet, but if you really want to do Yangshuo on a budget and have fun while doing it, head to Oral English College.

Ours names are Jayson and Cassie LaMarre. We are from the west coast of Canada, from a place called Kelowna. It is situated in the Okanagan (oh-kun-nah-gun) Valley, 150 kms from the American border. We have been traveling for 7 months so far and have another 7 months to go. We started our travels in New Zealand where we worked for various families and companies to help support ourselves. We did jobs ranging from 5 star bed and breakfasts, to working on a sheep farm. New Zealand is one of the safest places in the world so we hitch hiked to get from place to place, meeting some very interesting people along the way. We stayed for 6 months then flew over to Australia for a short 3 week visit, before coming to China. We have been here for 3 weeks as well and are really enjoying it...the people are the best! When we leave China we will be going south into Vietnam, Cambodia then flying out of Thailand into India where we are going to see the Taj Mahal. From there we will visit Jordan, Turkey and some other places in Europe before heading to Texas, where we will get a car and drive home to surprise our family for Christmas.

After the voluptuous India, easy-going Thailand and rainy Vietnam I entered China by foot (easy from Sapa, but don't try it from home). I crossed a bridge and there I was. X-rays to check where I had hidden the forbidden books or guides in the backpack. Fortunately they didn't care about the plutonium I had with me. Looking for minority groups and villages in Southwest China is extremely good to improve your communication skills: English is a language from Mars. But after three weeks of non-verbal life and six months of traveling I decided to take a break. And I went to the best place to do that in China: Yangshuo. Good weather, amazing landscape and Oral English College. I saw the school by chance, after biking around, and I ended up spending few weeks there. The people in Oral is very helpful and they just make your life very easy. In exchange of few hours a week of conversation with some students they offer you free food, accommodation, Internet, laundry, friendship... The experience of volunteering there have opened my eyes and now I'm even thinking to do a course to become a real teacher. But that probably gives you too much headaches. The most painful things that can happen to you being a volunteer in Oral are the hangovers after too much night visits to the lively bar zone of West Street. The rest, heaven on Earth.