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Published: March 16th 2010
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Beautiful West Lake
This is my favourite photo of my trip so far My hopes of a warm or dry time in Hangzhou were short lived, but nonetheless, it was a relaxing few days.
When I arrived in Hangzhou, I met Phil (Brummie guy I met in Shanghai) at the train station, who had taken a break from his job to keep me company for a day around West Lake.
Our hostel was lovely with a big screen tv, the most wonderful staff and a resident puppy, bunny and two cats! Shortly after our arrival, we trekked out for a lovely dinner and found the bar street. After trying a few dead and expensive places, we found a great jazz bar, not too pricey, and packed with locals and westerners alike. The singer and musicians were fantastic. I ordered the first beer of my life; drank with distain at the nasty taste but relived at its cheapness. I eventually went on to margaritas and enjoyed myself a lot more.
The next day was a grey, bitterly cold and drizzly day. We bummed about our lovely hostel for hours but eventually decided to go for a stroll to visit West Lake. I was feeling rather under the weather, my head, hand and foot
Bottoms up!
Forcing myself to drink on the cheap! really ached, probably from the constant damp and cold; my leaking shoes and ten hours walking a day for the last week had done some damage.
As for the West Lake, Marco Pole wrote: “On one side it skirts the city... and commands a distant view of all its grandeur and loveliness, its temples, monasteries, and gardens with their towering trees, running down to the water's edge....”
Couldn’t put it better myself. I soon forgot the pain I was in as the lake was gorgeous and lived up to my expectations. The West Lake is literally a massive lake with a beautiful park that runs around the outside of it. It was breathtaking, surrounded by mountains on most sides with the city skyline looming in-between the cracks. There were various temples, pagodas, small islands with traditional Chinese style buildings, big rolling hills and even more temples in the distance. Even the surrounding mountains were illuminated in spotlights when the sun eventually set on us.
After walking from Su and Bei causeways and between the islands dotted on the northern side we took a cab to the cities ‘Old Town’ for dinner and walked around the cobbled and
lantern strewn streets. We came across a delightful shop, with clothes made for me; beautifully embroidered jeans and patch-worked tops and jackets. I have never been so excited about clothes in my life but regretfully restrained from buying anything, apart from a notebook. As I am away for such a long time and have a tight budget, my souvenirs shall be my tickets from the sights I have visited, which I will stick in this book during the time I inevitably alone in the early mornings!
After our walk, Phil took his train back to Jinhua for work the next day. I promised him a visit in the near future, and he promised me a free bed 😊 I retired to the hostel for a pleasant evening of resting my aching feet and relaxing in front of movies as I drew pictures in my scrapbook.
The following day I decided to stay in today due to the weather - it snowed heavily overnight. I haven’t had a single days rest for weeks so I just chilled inside and did some thinking and research as to what I was going to for the next few months.
In all
honesty I have felt incredibly lonely the last week or so; so much so that I have even researched flights back to the UK. I am worried I am wasting my hard-saved money on a trip I am not enjoying to its full potential as sometime my heart isn’t 100% in the right place. Having said that, I am proud of myself for getting out and about, and not letting the weather or heartache stop me from seeing the beautiful sights on my own.
I thought long and hard about my options. I am in a wonderful situation with the world at my feet and I am trying hard to enjoy myself. I decided that I no longer want to work in China after everything Richard has done to me here and maybe a warm and sunny beach more on the typical backpacker route might make me feel better! I wanted to spend long enough in each country that the novelty wore off and that has nearly come to pass, for just one example...
...From Suzhou to Hangzhou I arrived at the station, an hour before my preferred train departed. However, at the ticket office I was informed
that the tickets would 90 RMB each. I was growing increasingly angry, I had been told at the worst and loneliest hostel I have stayed in yet that the bus was more expensive, at 77 RMB. I was freezing, completely soaked through, worried about my laptop in my dripping bag and now I was paying double the quoted price for the train.
Things got worse. The train station was as packed as it possibly could be, as usual, with well over one thousand passengers just for my one train; the hordes of people stamping on my feet, sweating, treading on my bags and pushing and shoving everything past me where trying my patience. The train was then delayed. My spirit soared when the crowd performed their tell-tale shove towards the platform and I knew the train had arrived. My hopes of a warm seat were dashed as the train began to whistle in warning of its impending departure after 3 minutes at the station to try to make up its lost time. I leapt on the nearest carriage and began to walk through the 11 carriages ahead to my designated seat, watching the mass of people at the platform
mortified at the trains’ quick disappearance. I was shortly stopped by a train employee at the entrance to carriage 8 who had various reasons, all in Chinese, as to why I was not allowed to pass through. This is the point at which I lost it my enthusiasm for China; I threw my backpacks tried to no avail to explain ‘I paid extortionate prices for a seat and I would damn well like to sit down’ and proceeded to sit on the floor. I have no idea the reasons, or what she was trying to say, but I'm sure none of it would have made me feel better anyway...
In addition to this, parents holding their babies over the pavement to shit in the street, the constant overcrowding, pushing and shoving, the spitting, the god-awful foul smell everywhere, the constantly having to stop to have your photo taken with a line of people whilst walking/eating dinner/waiting for a train and the fact that every time you have to cross a road you must say a small prayer, I am hoping a small break will recharge my enthusiasm for this wonderful nation.
I have a double entry Chinese visa
which allows me to exit for up to 30 days, after 90 days here, and re-enter for a further 90. I plan to leave China through HK a few weeks, a little early, but I don’t see the point in staying longer than I have to as my route takes me right past the border and money is tight. I found a flight to Manila so cheap that I couldn’t resist the temptation of 40 degrees in some of the most stunning beaches the world has to offer, and booked two weeks there from the 22nd March. I feel that with a short break, my faith in China will be restored as I carry on my tour of the south in the warmer month of April! 😊
After these long ranting internal debates I spent the evening watching ‘Forrest Gump’ and ‘Snatch’, reading and drawing. After catching up with Phil in Jinhua for a few free nights, very cheap meals and more movies, I felt better with company and was back on the train with my 6 hour hard seat ticket to Nanjing.
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stu
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stunning bum! and the dog is cte! i want it! :P x x x