Essentials for a cold and rainy week in Yangshuo, China.

A cozy hotel room with:

Heating and cooling (it may get hot and rainy).

Plenty of room for two. This keeps the fighting to a minimum. Two beds is best.

Hot shower.

Friendly staff.

A floor to ceiling view. Specifically, a view of the Li River and some street activity. A balcony is OK but you can only use it when/if it warms up.

A small water heater and lots of instant coffee.

Free Internet as you will spend lots of time drinking coffee, Internetting, and looking out the window.

You need to have:

Good rain gear since you will go outside at some point.

A list of things to do inside your hotel room like reading your camera manual, studying a local map, writing blog posts, watching snooker on CCTV 5, and listening to the House of Mirth audiobook.

A list of things to do outside your hotel room like using the Bank of China ATM, trying every veggie burger in town, becoming friends with the lady at the bus station Information Desk, finding the location of every bakery in town, and of course buying more instant coffee.