Hangzhou

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Well, the train ride from Wuyishan to Hangzhou certainly was an experience! Our standing tickets for the eight hour trip meant that for the first hour we were in the aisle, having to move every thirty seconds for someone who was on their way to the boiling water unit for their noodles, or someone who was on their way to the toilet, etc. This was becoming rather tedious, but thankfully an attendant had found us a couple of seats. Little did we realise that one of these seats was taken, so we spent the next seven hours playing a game of musical chairs! The reason for the attendant finding us a seat also became apparent, as ten minutes after we were seated he began a thirty minute sales pitch for socks that were fire-proof and blade-proof - complete with demonstrations. However, the most testing aspect of the trip was the incessant spitting on the floor and general food stuffs that were thrown at your feet.

Our time in Hangzhou, on the other hand, was wonderful. Various Chinese people we have met during our travels had all told us to visit Hangzhou on our way to Shanghai, as it was so beautiful and more of a Chinese city than the western style of Shanghai. Not knowing much about China, we took the advice of the local people and were so glad that we did, as Hangzhou was indeed a beautiful city to visit. This is made even more remarkable considering it's a city of well over six million people.

Hangzhou's centrepiece is the expansive West Lake, complete with numerous gardens, temples and restaurants. Our hostel (Ming Town Garden Hostel) was situated on a path that wound its way through one of the smaller adjoining lakes. Therefore, traffic noise was non-existent and we were spoiled for choices of places to go and relax with a book. The hostel was built around two central courtyards and had a friendly atmosphere, as well as some exceptionally tasty food.

We spent our first day strolling around the lake and parts of the city and on the second day we both hired bicycles and made our way around the entire lake, which was broken up by visiting a buddhist temple. This expedition was not as simple as it may sound, however, as my bicycle had no brakes and the other resembled a clown bicycle, complete with miniature wheels, a high seat and springs all over it, meaning that whenever you got any speed up it looked like you were bouncing on a pogo stick!

During our bicycle ride we also made our way to a pedestrian street that is designed in the old Chinese style, no doubt for tourists like us. It was filled with artists, musicians, shops selling silk products and hand woven products, and, of course, a McDonalds restaurant at one end! This franchise has an uncanny knack of appearing at every turn and it's position here was just as incongruous as the one we saw in tiny Ao Nang back in Thailand (although, the one in Ao Nang was also kept company by a Starbucks and a Burger King). Looking past this, it was an interesting little street to visit and we spent a great deal of time perusing the various wares on display.

Thousands of people visited West Lake whilst we were there, but we could always find our own peaceful place to sit, be it in a tea house, a garden or a pavillion with live traditional music. On our final morning we had to leave our hostel quite early to beat the peak hour rush on our way to the train station, which enabled us to witness the most brilliant sunrise over West Lake. The orange hue spreading across the heavens gave an ethereal feel to the setting, with reflections and silhouettes of the little stone bridges and tree branches placing us amidst a serene setting and provided us with a wonderful lasting memory of our time in Hangzhou.

Next stop: Shanghai

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Comments

[Angela]

I warned you about the spitting!
Hi Brons, Yet again a lovely serene image has been painted - Martina on the bike! Spittle at your feet! Keep us informed, Angela