Hiking in Hangzhou （杭州）

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A marvelous chinese city in the south east of China, for me a place where I stay for last two years. It’s a wonderful place full of sights, full of opportunities to escape from the city with somewest perfect routes for hiking around. If you are another backpacker coming here, don’t look just at the West Lake or Liniying temple, go around and Hangzhou treasures will seduce you, charm you.

Not so long ago I went for a not too long hike to find the “shang tian zhu, zhong tian zhu, xia tian zhu” - 3 temples (上天竺，中天竺， 下天竺； upper， middle & lower tianzhu temples). Sun was making the day warm, clear sky giving good visibility, a fantastic companion helped to enjoy this route. Starting at the old grave yard, going by the stairs, entering the path on the hill, passing beautifully made rest places, observing the world around, stopping at the middle of the forest to hear the silence, to feel like in a real tropical forest, getting out of the forest, standing on the top of the hill looking down on the city, finally getting to the main point - the backgate of Linyingtemple, reading a tourist map, trying to figure out how to reach the goal chosen a second ago. Than, taking the wrong way, trying to climb a hill in a totally inappropriate way (thanks to help of companion itended pretty safely)。 Not stopping just because of the first failure, trying again, finding the way, having an opportunity to turn to the tea-village, checking out all the temples, coming across a council on compiling a holy Buddhist text, getting scolded for the improper dress, at the end figuring out that there was a road… no regrets, however! Pilgrims should by the hardest available way to go to the temple.

To Antonio, my companion during that hike - molto grazie & bici!

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