touristA

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I spent about 4 days in HK, where I definitely got a feel for the international city which in the end, felt to me a lot like SF/ Chinatown. Both cities mimc one another with a harbor that meets a developed financial district, and gives way to restaurants, shops, and apartments that line vEry steep hills and small streets, all signed with chinese character. Cantonese is the chinese language of choice, but English was just as widely spoken. I took a day trip to a nearby island that had a huge bronze buddha and beautiful hiking, only an hour from HK island. Another great way i saw the city was to ride the tram up and down the northern side of the island (kind of like the cable cars in SF!). At night we hit the town with beautiful restaurants, bars, and streets packed full of expats. My last day there it was beautiful and sunny, and we took a ride to Stanley beach on the other side of the island. HK has EVERYthing! the beach was gorgeous with a bay for sailing, a small boardwalk, and the sand and sun felt so nice! all in all, HK is a livable comfortable city with everything you could want close by, but it doesn't have the chinese culture or grit that i love about beijing.

I stayed with my family in Shenzhen one more night, and was glad for this second stay because it made the goodbyes easier (my first goodbye would have been a tearful one if i hadn't planned this second return to shenzhen!).

Up early the next morning with my backpack packed again, I was escorted to the airport by my aunt and niece. 2 hours later I was in Hangzhou, a city famous for its beautiful West Lake, just south of Shanghai. I was getting tired of traveling at this point, and was considering skipping this last leg, but in the end was glad I toured the city! I met my friend Nick for dinner who is studying there, and we dined at the very classy Hooters establishment where i had my first salad in....who knows how long it was delicious. We saw the lake lit up at night and listened to Prince over pots of tea.

I spent the entire next day walking around the lake, across bridges, under willow trees, and through parks. I made a quick run through the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) museum that I wish I had more time for (they let me sneak in after it had closed), because at the end of the museum was a still-functioning pharmacy prescribing TCM concoctions and selling $300 roots. Later that night I had street side snacks with Chiense and Korean friends I made at the hostel. Up early again the next day I was energized and back in travel mode. Hopped on a 2 hour bus for a day trip to Suzhou "Venice of the East" city lined with canals and famous for it's Chiense gardens. VERY beautiful. these were the gardens I had imagined that China looked like before I left the US for beijing!

I came back to a rainy Hangzhou, met nick and spent my last night of travel eating zhou (chinese porridge that is SO good when it's cold out) and dinner at a local restaurant. It was time to go back to beijing and i was looking forward to it!

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