Hangzhou

---

The main problem I face with this blogging malarkey is that whatever mood I am in when I write it colours my recollections of what I've been up to. But I'll try and maintain some distance this time because I've had an up and down couple of days.

Sunday I was realyl homesick. I'm not sure why but I just missed everybody and was really fed up of China. I won't dwell on it because the next day I was fine, and headed to Hangzhou. Hangshou is about an hour away and is our closest major city. There will be a train connection within the next 5 years, but for now it's the good old bus. The buses all have TV screens but as the films are Chinese, I just stuck with my ipod. I went to Hangzhou last week to visit the training schools there, but this time I was visiting as a tourist so the first stop was West Lake. West Lake is very famous in China and I think fairly well known elsewhere. I love it becuase it is so close to the centre of the city, it really seems part of it. Loads of Chinese people visit the park, as well as tourists from elsewhere. The city of Hangzhou sits on one side of the lake, and there are mountains around the remainder so it is really beautiful and the contrasts between urban and rural are marked. West Lake features in loads of Chinese poetry and there are lots of monuments to scholars, poets and emporors who visited for inspiration. In the morning we went to the far side of the lake where there are less tourists. We saw pavillions, monuments and such wonderful colours! We were really lucky with the weather - after 10 days of freezing cold we've just had two days of sunshine. It was clear and warm and we really got to savour the atmosphere and the views. Although it looked very different, the scale of the place and the serenity of the landscape reminded me of the highlands - I felt really peaceful and happy. I do like my creature comforts and the convenience of living in the city or town, but visiting places like this just calms me and I think that someday, when I grow up!, I'd like to live in the countryside, somewhere where it actually gets dark, you know? I didn't have my camera with me (d'uh) but found it really refreshing in the morning to just enjoy the views and soak it up, rather than trying to take pictures of everything. I bought a disposable for the afternoon though, so did record some of the sights.

We had been recommended an Indian restaurant so went there for lunch, it was great but a lot dearer than Chinese food obviously. In the afternoon we saw the most touristy side of the lake, also nice but not as good as the morning had been. I did enjoy the people watching though - great fun! Talking of people watching, the toddlers here don't wear nappies. They have a hole in the bottom of their trousers and whenver they need the loo they just squat where they are. It's not entirely pleasant but so cute when you see these wee kids walking along with their bottoms winking at you!

Tarik came through in the evening with some of his friends and we all went out for dinner and drinks. I'm not comfortable drinking a lot with people I don't know (even if my brother does!) and don't tend to drink abroad anyway so went home after one bar and the restaurant but the others went to karaoke then macdonalds and got back in the wee small hours. Incidentally, the hotel we had booked into online turned us awy when they arrived because they don't take foreigners! Apparently the government regulates it and if the places is not big enough or clean enough they con't get a foreign licence. I was imagining spending the night like Mary in Bethlehem but luckily we found somewhere not too expensive that would take us.

Yesterday we went shopping in Hangzhou and I got a few nice things although I was ready to go home by 4 o clock after doing battle with the locals and the traffic.

Just now, I'm researching Shanghai - I'm flying to Dubai from there next Tuesday so am trying to plan what I want to do incase I decide to spend a few days in the city.

---