Hangzhou

On Monday, we took an early modern train from Shanghai to Hangzhou. The train station reminded me of an airport and we had to scan our bags and ourselves. We had allowed for extra time as the Golden Week had just begun, but everything went smoothly and we arrived in Hangzhou after about an hour. In the hotel, we took a nap and then went to a delicious Thai restaurant for dinner.

Afterwards, we walked around a night market. There were many small stalls lined up, mostly selling jewelry. I bought a beautiful necklace, and the others made some purchases too. Julian was a good negotiator and the stall owners were very friendly and wanted to take photos with us. I'm still not very good at bargaining, but it's getting better and it's actually fun. It's a bit like a game, and if both parties are willing to participate, it can be very funny. However, we have also experienced situations where the other person was offended if our initial price was deemed too low and started scolding us in Chinese. Calculators have even been thrown.

The next morning, we felt the full effect of the Golden Week. Hangzhou is known for its large lake, which borders the city. We wanted to visit the lake, but our hotel was a bit far from it, so we tried to hail a taxi. Laura and Richy were lucky and managed to get a taxi after a long wait. On the other hand, Giulia, Julian, and I had no luck and tried to decipher the Chinese characters on the bus schedule. One of the waiting Chinese people spoke a little English and tried to explain how we could get there by bus, but with transfers and not understanding a word, it was a complicated alternative. The man eventually got tired of waiting for the bus and simply took us to the lake in his car. It took us a long time to cover the short distance to the lake due to heavy traffic and crowds. When we finally arrived, we had to search for Laura and Richy. Most of us had used up our data, but somehow we managed to find each other in the crowds (of course, not without being photographed a lot). We walked around the lake with thousands of other Chinese people and then decided to take a boat ride to one of the islands to escape the crowds - but to no avail. They were everywhere. There was hardly an inch on the island without a person, so we decided to take the next boat back to the mainland halfway through the circular path. We then took a walk of about 20-30 minutes into the greenery (Hangzhou is really beautiful with lots of greenery) and finally freed ourselves from other people. We walked alone through a beautiful forest that bordered a botanical garden. There were various plants, bamboo, small lakes, koi fish, and fragrant trees.

By that time, a lot of the day had passed, and in the twilight, we made our way back and randomly boarded a bus, which actually took us back to the city without any detours. We found another night market. It was a bit larger and had many shoes, bags, and clothes (all made in the best Chinese manner, imitating the big brands, so Calvin Klein quickly became Celvin Kloin).

The next day was definitely one of the highlights of the whole trip for me. In the morning, we took a bus to a tea plantation. Located on a mountain, with a small village at its feet, the green tea plantation was beautifully nestled in the mountains. The climb was sporty but absolutely worth it! When we reached the top, we had a great view of the lush green plantation and behind it, we could see the lake that borders the city.

In the village below, we treated ourselves to the most expensive green tea of our lives and took a little lunch break. Then, we continued by bus to a Buddhist temple. It was also located on a mountain and very beautiful. We could light incense sticks and see how the monks lived there.

On Thursday, we went for a hike on one of the mountains and found another Buddhist temple. I liked this one even more because it was more integrated into nature and looked older. On top of the mountain, there was a small temple hut from which we had a good view of Hangzhou and the lake. Afterwards, we visited the old town, a large street with many shops, stalls, and traditional houses, but it was quite touristy. One thing that was noticeable about Hangzhou was the stinky tofu. I don't know what they do with it, but it really stinks! :D You can buy it at many stalls in the city, and I think the Chinese people like it, but I didn't try it because the smell was quite off-putting.
Since it was our last evening, we treated ourselves to delicious Thai food again and then went back to the hotel to pack.

The next morning, we went to the airport very early and were lucky with the taxi. We found one that could accommodate all 5 of us plus our luggage.

The flight back was great. I had a window seat and had a wonderful view of the sea and later Dalian.