Huizhou #3: More West Lake Meandering

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My final day in Huizhou. I felt like I had seen pretty much all there was to see by the end of yesterday, apart from one section of the lake. So after a leisurely start to the day, I headed off to take a look around that part. I walked back through Fengzhu Park taking pictures of some things I had missed the day before because I had been a bit too tired by that point. The stone boat reminded me of the Summer Palace in Beijing, which is one of my favourite places to go in Beijing. I also spent more time photographing the lotus flowers, they never fail to impress me. When I got to the other side of the lake, I took the path in the opposite direction to the one I had took previously. My map app made it look like I could walk to the places I had missed in the opposite direction, meaning I wouldn't have to retrace my steps. The path here seemed quieter and used more by locals getting about or exercising. I saw a sign for a place called Crocodile Island so stopped off there. I hoped it got its name from being in the shape of a crocodile as opposed to having had any. The island was more of a pathway linking this part of the lake to the surrounding area. There wasn't really anything to see, just the busy main road next to the lake. There were a couple of men on boats that I watched pottering around for a bit. I headed back across and in the direction of Small West Gate. It seemed to be a bit busier by the gate as there was a parking area and a couple of families were riding around in little electric cars. I don't know why but the little electric cars looked a bit comical. Maybe it was because one had started to run out of power and people were walking faster than it. I went through the gate and was surprised to see a busy road in front of me and in the direction I was meant to be going what looked like some military area. I didn't think that I would be allowed to follow the route my map showed so retreated and walked along the side of the lake instead.

I walked passed the places I had been the day before and continued on. While I was walking, I came to the other side of the military area and there were big signs in Chinese and English telling you not to take any photographs of the area. Yeah, don't think they would have been happy with me trying to take a shortcut across their land. I was a bit surprised to come across a small housing estate. I don't know if it was for locals or those stationed in the area. A bit random. I continued on and came to an area that felt a bit more like the rest of the lake. I saw a sign pointing up to Liuyun Pavilion so took the steps through under the shade of the trees to see what it was like. The hill was only small so it didn't take me long to reach the top. The pavilion was really nice and I was very surprised that there was no one else about. I had heard voices but they must have come from below. I rested in the pavilion for a while reading and taking in the gorgeous view. The view of the lake with its bridges and the old and new buildings was really beautiful. I went down the hill and walked past some other buildings that looked closed. I came across some nice murals painted on a wall. I really liked it as it was totally in keeping with the area. I also passed a bird island. There are a few of these dotted about in West Lake, actually five in total. Birds such as egrets, night herons and cormorants live undisturbed on these islands. My walk took me back along the path sandwiched between the lake and the busy main road I had walked along the day before. I got some photos of things that I had either missed or forgot to take photos of. There was a snack/general tat shop that appeared to double as a pet store as it had quite a few cages in front of it filled with birds that I presumed were for sale, although I didn't see any price tags anywhere. I also had a quick look along the shopping/restaurant street that is near the lake. I had only been to the part nearest my guesthouse before today, and after a walk along the whole street, I found it to be a bit underwhelming.

Time to relax under the air conditioning for a bit. First I needed some hydration. After an electrolyte drink and some water, I needed something sweet and tasty. I decided to branch out again and try a different tea from Yi Dian Dian (一点点). I ordered a guava milk tea with boba, simply because in the picture it looked amazing as the different flavours were layered creating a nice contrast. Well it was definitely one of those Instagram vs. reality moments as when it came, it had obviously been all shook up on the journey. However it did have a nice pink hue to it. Also after taking my first sip, I fell in love with the drink, the sweetness of the guava syrup complimented the milk tea nicely. While drinking that it was time to order an early dinner. I needed a change from little dishes and decided to have something that I hadn't had in ages. I ordered Liangpi (凉皮) and Roujiamo (肉夹馍). These are commonly eaten together. Liangpi is cold skin noodles that originates from Shaanxi province in the northwest of China. The thick cut noodles are normally made from wheat flour, but sometimes rice flour or a combination of the two is used. The dish is served cold so perfect for a hot day like today and dressed in sauce of peanut oil, chili and vinegar and served with finely shredded cucumber, beansprouts, peanuts and wheat gluten. I love the wheat gluten as it is spongy in texture and just soaks up all the excess sauce. Also since I am not a purist and am a lover of eggs, I added a fried egg to mine. The noodles were really good. They had lots of flavour with nothing being too overpowering, perfect. Roujiamo literally means meat sandwiched in bread and is often called a Chinese hamburger, but in reality I would say is more like a pulled pork style sandwich. This one also had peppers in it and the bread was a type of flaky pastry, which while was delicious was also a bugger for creating crumbs. The meat was really juicy too. All in all, a great meal. In the evening, I headed out for a final walk and to see some of the places I hadn't seen at nice. I headed to the main gate that was prettily lit up and got some photos of the Zigzag bridge from a different angle. I also came across a statue of Su Dongpo that I hadn't seen before. The statue depicted him relaxing and eating some lychees. He had written a verse when he was in Huizhou about eating lychees and becoming a Lingnan man. Lingnan refers to an area south of the Nanling Mountains that covered present day Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau, Hainan, and northern Vietnam.

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