I took my first overnight trip this past week due to an extra day on my weekend for Tomb Sweeping Holiday. It was so nice to have an extra day and I really needed it after my battle with bronchitis. It was just enough time to make the trip and I am so glad that I went because Hangzhou is lovely and I found the trip rejuvenating and relaxing.
Hangzhou is a beautiful city just 112 miles southwest from Shanghai which is just an hour and a half journey by train. This trip included many firsts for me: first overnight trip in China, first time on a Chinese train, first stay in a hostel, and first nature oriented activity for me here. Thankfully I was not disappointed!
Hangzhou is small by Chinese city standards at only 6.4 million (according to Wikipedia anyway) and it is notable for its beauty and for the fact that it was the one-time capital of China during the Song dynasty. Hangzhou is on the Yangtze River Delta and is famous for its scenic lake which is surrounded by a park and gardens. Prior to being a lake, it was a lagoon that connected with the Yangtze River. Overlooking the lake are some beautiful hiking trails as well and landmarks. The first day we were there, the weather was sunny and beautiful so we wandered on the trails and then went to the lake and hired a boat. It was so perfect because the weather was warm and we were able to see the sunset on the water. It was one of those days that just felt so incredible and I wanted to capture that feeling I had and remember it. There were also funny moments like when the boat driver answered his cell phone and proceeded to carry out a conversation with someone while we watched the sun set. Everyone has a cell phone or two here, it is amazing!
We went to Hangzhou at the perfect time of year when it wasn’t cold and wasn’t hot and the trees were blooming. When we stepped off the boat, I saw that someone had made a laurel wreath out of weeping willow branches so we added flowers to our hair and took photos of ourselves wearing it. I felt a bit like I was in a magical wonderland. In the distance, someone was playing an Erhu, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument.
After the sun had set but it was still light, something amazing happened. All the bats came out! I have lived in Colorado for most of my life which has lots of bats but I have never had a bat fly so close to me. They were everywhere and they flew so close that you could almost touch them. I was fascinated by this because I had assumed they were birds until the driver of the shuttle we were on at the time mentioned the bats and sure enough I looked around and they were everywhere!
All in all it was an amazing day which we finished off by going to have some pizza which is incidentally very popular here and then calling it an early night at the hostel. The hostel had an adorable golden retriever dog and we were greeted by him upon our return. There was also a resident Siamese cat couple which looked like they were about to have kittens. So cute!
The next morning it was raining so we took the opportunity to go to the nearby shopping district and explore the shops. There are so many inexpensive and fun things to buy in China. I bought lots of jewelry and a beautiful blue and green beaded dress which was hand beaded and cost me less than $8. I also had street food which was really fun, cheap, and tasty. I had pineapple rice which is served in half of a pineapple which has been hollowed out and serves as a bowl. It was pretty and tasty! We also went to a donut shop and later to a coffee shop and read and relaxed which felt wonderful after the hectic pace of teaching and Shanghai in general. Even though Hangzhou is not far from Shanghai it feels like a whole world away in terms of the feel of the city. I do love Shanghai but I think that Hangzhou provides a nice retreat when you need something more relaxed. That night we went to a new bar and restaurant where I had an excellent hamburger and “Mragrita” as it was spelled on the menu. Thankfully it was a Margarita as I expected. I took a gamble and had an alcoholic beverage and luckily this place was honest and there was nothing to make me ill in the drink.
We caught a train home the next day but not before we went to a Viennese style waffle and pancake house called the Flying Pancake. I had an amazing ham and cheese waffle sandwich! I know it sounds like we ate a lot of Western food but I eat Chinese food most of the time so it was nice to have some comfort food.
The best part about this trip is that it cost me less than $150 for shopping, round trip train fare, the hostel, and eating out. We ate very well and I bought a lot of stuff so it is easy to live like a king on a pauper’s salary (by western standards anyway).
I’ve only been back a few days but I am already thinking about my next trip!
Hangzhou is a beautiful city just 112 miles southwest from Shanghai which is just an hour and a half journey by train. This trip included many firsts for me: first overnight trip in China, first time on a Chinese train, first stay in a hostel, and first nature oriented activity for me here. Thankfully I was not disappointed!
Hangzhou is small by Chinese city standards at only 6.4 million (according to Wikipedia anyway) and it is notable for its beauty and for the fact that it was the one-time capital of China during the Song dynasty. Hangzhou is on the Yangtze River Delta and is famous for its scenic lake which is surrounded by a park and gardens. Prior to being a lake, it was a lagoon that connected with the Yangtze River. Overlooking the lake are some beautiful hiking trails as well and landmarks. The first day we were there, the weather was sunny and beautiful so we wandered on the trails and then went to the lake and hired a boat. It was so perfect because the weather was warm and we were able to see the sunset on the water. It was one of those days that just felt so incredible and I wanted to capture that feeling I had and remember it. There were also funny moments like when the boat driver answered his cell phone and proceeded to carry out a conversation with someone while we watched the sun set. Everyone has a cell phone or two here, it is amazing!
We went to Hangzhou at the perfect time of year when it wasn’t cold and wasn’t hot and the trees were blooming. When we stepped off the boat, I saw that someone had made a laurel wreath out of weeping willow branches so we added flowers to our hair and took photos of ourselves wearing it. I felt a bit like I was in a magical wonderland. In the distance, someone was playing an Erhu, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument.
After the sun had set but it was still light, something amazing happened. All the bats came out! I have lived in Colorado for most of my life which has lots of bats but I have never had a bat fly so close to me. They were everywhere and they flew so close that you could almost touch them. I was fascinated by this because I had assumed they were birds until the driver of the shuttle we were on at the time mentioned the bats and sure enough I looked around and they were everywhere!
All in all it was an amazing day which we finished off by going to have some pizza which is incidentally very popular here and then calling it an early night at the hostel. The hostel had an adorable golden retriever dog and we were greeted by him upon our return. There was also a resident Siamese cat couple which looked like they were about to have kittens. So cute!
The next morning it was raining so we took the opportunity to go to the nearby shopping district and explore the shops. There are so many inexpensive and fun things to buy in China. I bought lots of jewelry and a beautiful blue and green beaded dress which was hand beaded and cost me less than $8. I also had street food which was really fun, cheap, and tasty. I had pineapple rice which is served in half of a pineapple which has been hollowed out and serves as a bowl. It was pretty and tasty! We also went to a donut shop and later to a coffee shop and read and relaxed which felt wonderful after the hectic pace of teaching and Shanghai in general. Even though Hangzhou is not far from Shanghai it feels like a whole world away in terms of the feel of the city. I do love Shanghai but I think that Hangzhou provides a nice retreat when you need something more relaxed. That night we went to a new bar and restaurant where I had an excellent hamburger and “Mragrita” as it was spelled on the menu. Thankfully it was a Margarita as I expected. I took a gamble and had an alcoholic beverage and luckily this place was honest and there was nothing to make me ill in the drink.
We caught a train home the next day but not before we went to a Viennese style waffle and pancake house called the Flying Pancake. I had an amazing ham and cheese waffle sandwich! I know it sounds like we ate a lot of Western food but I eat Chinese food most of the time so it was nice to have some comfort food.
The best part about this trip is that it cost me less than $150 for shopping, round trip train fare, the hostel, and eating out. We ate very well and I bought a lot of stuff so it is easy to live like a king on a pauper’s salary (by western standards anyway).
I’ve only been back a few days but I am already thinking about my next trip!
