Hangzhou !!

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Norma has decided that her blockage has moved from her insides to her brain and writer's block has set in. So, a coup has been staged and the Bling Dynasty has ended and I have assumed control - temporarily I'm sure! The past days have been so busy that we have not had a chance to catch up with the blog, this morning is a quiet morning in Nanjing hence the continuation.
Hangzhou was very enjoyable and the boat ride on West Lake was enjoyable and much less crowded than when I was here on the Labour Day weekend. The lake is sizeable with causeways and islands, a pagoda and the modern city across the water. There is a large villa on a peninsula which Mao loved and visited often. We then went to the Dragon Well tea gardens and saw the terraced tea bushes on the hillsides and the whole process of making the fine green tea that the community is famous for.
At the Lingyin Temple we went into the caves and narrow gorges in the limestone to view the many elaborate carvings of the "Peak Flying From Afar", the most famous of which is a great Laughing Buddha set in a niche. These carvings date from the 10th to 14th centuries. Later in the afternoon we went to the Five Harmonies pagoda overlooking the river. It is spectacular enough but the adjacent parkland on the hillside winds through woodland containing over 100 precisely modelled replicas of the most famous pagodas in the whole of China, each being about 10 to 15 ft tall. This area was practically deserted and seems to be one of the best kept secrets in the area. A peaceful contrast to the bustling busyness of West Lake.

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Comments

[Denise]

Wow!
I have finally gotten online to read your blogs! It sounds like you are having an amazing time! I will be thinking of you as I hit the zoo for the tenth time this summer. My own little around the world trip! Can't wait to see some of the pictures of these places you are visiting.

[Bessi]

Sheltered Life
It sounds like you're having an incredible time. I just finished reading all your entries and it sounds fabulous. I have been doing nothing but packing so your adventure sounds like a story book. Enjoy!