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Published: February 2nd 2010
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Today I slept late and it felt great. I had planned to get up early and see the park north of the lake, but since I'm exhausted and feel like I might be coming down with something the extra sleep seemed like a good idea. Besides, it's a dreary day with rain in the forecast.
I met two of my friends for lunch. As a gift they brought me some of the longjing tea. I was thrilled since I hadn't bought any yet and it is the local tea. We went to a fish hot pot restaurant near where they work. We managed to get everything made vegetarian so I could eat freely and fill my stomach to the point of bursting. We had some beans, eggplant (my favorite), lotus root (my other favorite), and of course, the fish. After lunch I went in search of the bus depot for tomorrow. I'm taking a cab there around 5:30am, but I'd like to know roughly where I'm going so that I can tell if the cab driver is taking the scenic route. Also, then I know where to buy my ticket rather than trying to figure it out when I'm not
awake. The bus will then take me to the airport which is located quite a ways out of town.
What to do, what to do. The morning had actually been pretty nice and hadn't rained. But of course, now that I want to walk around it starts misting. It wasn't the kind of mist that an umbrella will save you from, it's the kind that hangs in the air and sticks to everything so after a while you start to feel damp. I opted to check out the park north of the lake, Yellow Dragon Cave Park. I never did see a sign for a cave.
I climbed up the mountain (okay, a really big hill, but that doesn't sound as impressive) and could tell the view was amazing despite the haze. I saw the pagodas (one a gift from India) and on my way down I saw the yellow walls of the Taoist monastery. There were quite a few walking paths, but since it was so damp, and most of them had a lot of uneven stairs (for the natural look), I opted to take the short way rather than the scenic way down the hill.
The walk itself was amazing. It felt like it was just me and the world. All I could hear were rustling leaves, soft rain, and happy birds. It was so peaceful and relaxing. It was a good break from the hustle and bustle of the city. Not that Hangzhou really seems to have any hustle or bustle compared to many cities I've been to. I like that. Had it not been for the dampness sinking in I would have stayed in the park until dark. But by 4:30 I'd had enough and caught the bus back to Wade's apartment.
Back at the apartment I warmed up a bit and managed to dry my coat in front of the heater. I finished my packing and once again tackled the task of journaling. Wade arrived home shortly after I did and then he and I set out for the first ever "Green Drinks" meeting in Hangzhou. He was the featured speaker and one of the main coordinators. Green Drinks is a group that meets once a month to discuss ways to make the city and community nicer and more environmentally friendly. He said that there are 300 chapters worldwide, but only
3 in China.
Jodie and I left around 9 after Wade was done presenting. She'd worked 12 hours that day and I was tired. And I knew that 4:45 would come too early for my liking. I only like that hour if I'm still awake from the night before.
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