Entries about hangzhou

My most recent escape from Beijing was to Hangzhou, a city about an hour south of Shanghai, and the southern climate was a welcome break from Beijing's fast-descending temperatures. The journey was a tad on the long side; it took around 6 hours by train to get there but it was so worth it.

Will and I met at the main station before catching the Metro into the centre. From there it was a short walk to the hostel. Initially the city seemed quiet, understandably as it was nearing 11pm. However, as we turned the corner onto the road our hostel was located on, everything changed. Hefang Street was buzzing. There were crowds of people and hundreds of street vendors selling everything from post cards to Chinese flutes. There were flags bunting draped across the old street. We were so distracted by everything that we forgot we were looking for the hostel and walked right past it. We met Anna and Tessa at the hostel and then headed back out in search for something to eat and drink before bed. There were miniature food courts at regular intervals, so we took the plunge and ordered an aubergine stuffed with noodles and vegetables which was really tasty.

Saturday was reserved for Hangzhou's main attraction, The West Lake (Xi Hu). The lake is huge and luckily for us, it was a beautiful day to see as much of it as we could. After a quick breakfast, the four of us headed towards the lake, unsure of exactly where was the best place to start. We struck gold by finding some beautiful gardens which lead us straight to the lake's shore and gave us the opportunity to take in just how big it was. There are several famous sights to see around the lake, including temples, islands in the middle of it and a narrow strip of bridges that crosses part of it. We took a boat over to "The Moon Reflecting in Three Pools" island, which interestingly has four pools... It was a really beautiful space, full of trees and flowers and with bridges between the pools. We walked all around it and from one side you could see the skyscrapers of Hangzhou's modern district which was a strange contrast to the serenity and nature of the island.

We spent the whole day exploring different parts of the lake and when we got tired, we stopped in a particularly warm spot for a couple of drinks and watched the sun go down. In the evening, we ate at a restaurant near the lake and then went back to the lake bank to see what it looked like in the dark. It was, of course, beautiful. There was an illuminated building near us that reflected in the still water and in the distance, on the other banks, there were thousands of tiny twinkling lights. To finish off the evening we went to a jazz club for a few drinks.

Sunday morning, we walked up to Wushan Scenic Spot which is a hill at one side of the lake. At the top there are several temples and a huge pagoda which we climbed up. Unfortunately, it was smoggier so the views weren't as clear as the previous day but we could see roofs of other buildings poking out of the tree tops. I felt miles away from my urban life in Beijing, it was so green. For what remained of the afternoon, we took the time to explore a bit of the old part of the town by daylight. The architecture around the streets was not what I expected at all! Once we moved off Hefang Street, suddenly it all seemed a bit less Chinese, and while it wasn't quite European, there was definitely more European influence than I have seen here.

Walking back to the train station I realised how much I had enjoyed visiting Hangzhou. The city has such a huge variety of influences and atmospheres. I'm not sure a weekend there is enough to really make the most of everything it has to offer. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to go back one day to see some more of the lake and explore the city more.