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Published: July 28th 2008
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Wow, I just finished up a whirlwind time in Hangzhou. This place is known for its lakes, with it’s biggest one called the Wu Xi Lake.
The first afternoon we got there, we barely saw the lake, and only by accident. We decided to head over to their bustling night market to see what interesting, realistic fake goods and janky street food we could buy. There weren’t any fake goods and the actual goods were a little pricey by Chinese standards. Not much bargaining was to be had there.
We saw a giant pagoda at the top of the hill, and our instinct to hike kicked in. Even though the roads were fairly paved, night hikes are a wee bit frightening. But we were rewarded with an excellent view; and, to our surprise, the pagoda was actually open for visiting hours. It was also pretty much abandoned, which made our childish hearts excited with the prospect of scaring ourselves. We took some friggin’ creepy pictures hehehe (check out the one I took of Lewis). With the night view of the lake as amazing as it was, we could only imagine what it would look like by day.
The
night market street food was excelente. I had a fried dough with powdered sugar dish, along with some fried pumpkin and a milky mango jelly drink. I saw some jade shops, but everyone was moving along, and it just didn’t feel like the right time to buy. Hopefully I find my perfect jade in X’ian or Beijing.
The next day was totally lake-centric. We got dropped off in a taxi on the south side of the lake, and we started with the exploration of another pagoda. This one was pretty modern (aka elevators and escalators…yeauyuh!), but it was built on top of the ruins of the original temple, which were preserved under glass.
People were throwing money onto the ruins, which was absolutely baffling. I dunno if they realized that they were eroding the temple, just for their desire to attain luck lol.
The views from the top were astounding. It looked like the lake consumed half the town. It was divided in two by a tree-filled causeway and there were a couple of islands in its center. Time for exploration!
We headed down to the water to find a boat to take us to the island with
the restaurant. That was the time when it really started to get hot. Around 11 am. And once that started, you couldn’t shake the feeling that a giant, wet blanket was covering every bit of you.
The lake itself didn’t totally help with the heat, except when your hand was dipped in it. We ended up finding a small boat to fit the 7 of us, and the experience was so calming. The lakeshore was filled with trees, reminding me of California and my house. May I take this time to explain how thoroughly homesick I've become? This little nudge of nostalgia started 3 weeks ago and now it's punching me in the head every time I see something vaguely American (which has become more frequent in these scenic areas, mind you). One of the greatest things about traveling is that it keeps you at this heightened state of appreciation. When you get to a spot, you begin by appreciating the new culture and city. As that feeling fades, you start to appreciate your roots, your friends, home. Even though I'm thrilled about traveling and seeing all these ancient spots, I can't wait for the day that I can
sit with my friends and family and have dinner. Watch a movie. Chill at the dorms. In short I miss you and I also digress.
The lake restaurant was equipped with some central air conditioning, which I’ve never fully appreciated like I have during this summer that I’ve spent in China. This place is famous for its “beggar chicken.” It’s a chicken baked in mud that is broken at your table. Didn't quite have that, but still had a yummy,. family-style meal.
Afterwards, we rented bikes to take around the lake. I could've done that all day, seeing as how biking gives you wind to keep you going. I hadn't biked in SO long, and I was scared that I would eat it...hard. But as the old saying goes, I didn't forget how to ride a bike. Doing it in a skirt was another issue that doesn't need to be delved into here hehe
For dinner, we found a tea village with restaurants on their own private lagoons. The view and food (since we can't forget that, even in the face of an amazing view) were so tantalizing...what other adjective could describe both? But it seemed that
the mosquitoes also enjoyed the view, and left the restaurant full of food and running on a less empty tank of blood.
Even though the city was heavenly, we Travel Warriors had to keep moving. Next stop, Xi'an. The problem? Transportation. Seeing as how we are college students, not all of us were willing to cough up the money for a flight. So we took a 20-hour train ride. That's 2-0. From 4am to midnight. Twenty episodes of your favorite show long. We actually left at 1 pm, and got split up into "hard sleepers" and "hard seats." I was one of the lucky few to get a "hard sleeper," although it wasn't terribly lucky. As a disclaimer to anyone wanting to travel China, it was not meant to be inhabited from the months of July-August. The heat on the non-air conditioned train was almost unbearable. Our tiny oscillating fan did little to cool us off in the top bunk of our little train.
All I gotta say is, thank god we're young.
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