The weather finally cooperated (well, except for the 30 minutes it downpoured) and Hugh and I took to the city on bicycle and bus. Hangzhou has this amazing public bicycle system where you can rent bicycles for a negligble amount of money (basically $1 a day) and drop them off at various stations located around West Lake. This is very handy if you, say, are super lazy and get on a bike outside of your hotel and cycle about 500m to the bus station and nearest drop-off point.

There are far too many places for us to see in a week, let alone a day, but from what I’ve seen Hangzhou is pretty much up there with beautiful cities I’ve been to. It’s also one of the cleanest cities I’ve been to. I know I’m not the only person who associates China with cleanliness, but neither litter nor errant leaf stays on the ground for more than 15 minutes here.

There was one point when we were walking along a causeway when I spotted a small pavillion atop a hill in the distance. It brought this sense of wonder and enchantment that I don’t recall really feeling since I first came to Japan when I was 16 and spotted temples hidden deep in the hills from a speeding bullet train…

Well, pictures describe it better anyway…

People crossing a bridge over West Lake

This dude is important, Hugh agrees.

Boats

An old restaurant on Qinghefang Old Town District...

A beautiful sunset over Leifeng pagoda...

I hope the weather clears up a little today. We’re in Hangzhou, supposedly China’s most beautiful city, but it’s impossible to look over the famous West Lake because it’s been so hazy (or smoggy, you choose!)

Tomorrow we leave for a 30+ hour train trip to Guangzhou. China proved more difficult than we expected and we’ve cut out some of the more tricky parts of our trip and decided to leave China a week early (we’re going to Macau and Hong Kong for more time–technically China, but so not.)

I have NO idea how people who can’t read Chinese characters manage to get around independently, but I salute you. We’ll go to travel agencies that advertise they book train tickets and speak English, but the minute we go there the staff rolls their eyes (before they even know I am non-Chinese) and then tell us to go to the train station (in perfect English of course) to book the ticket. Thanks guys, seriously.

I’ve realized that the “higher up” people are (English speaking staff, concierges, etc) the less they seem to like doing their job. It’s always been the people in the low-paying work who have been the kindest and most helpful. Waitresses who go out of their way to help us order things on menus, taxi drivers who gesticulate wildly to tell us how to cross a busy street, etc. Anyone we thought we could depend on to help us through things seems pretty unwilling to help, while the people we expected to be brusque and unhelpful have always been sympathetic. Go figure.

Once again, I thank god that I can read Japanese. It’s made buying train tickets (a challenge in line-jumping in and of itself) so much easier.

Anyways, the weather looks good (albeit humid) so that means we should be able to get some nice views of the lake and the city. The pagoda we visited yesterday (although it’s been rebuilt) was really, really beautiful. I spent awhile sitting in a bench by the lake, viewing the pagoda through wispy willow branches and thought, “Ahhh, China…” Views like that make it all worth it. It’s the sort of beauty I’ve never actually seen IN PERSON and I often think that maybe if I just steeled my spine some more I’d be able to see more beautiful things deeper in the country… but I guess I’ll just have to save that for another trip to China.

I’ve stayed in several guesthouses and hostels and I know to lower my expectations. It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if staff would be better. It really makes or breaks a place for me. In our current location (Mingtown Hangzhou West Lake) the people at the desk act like every act is some huge inconvenience to them. They sigh and roll their eyes when they have to do things like, sell stuff from their own fridgerators or check you into your room.

When I say “failure,” I meant it ironically though. I don’t think I’m failing. Maybe I’ll lose some uber-backpacker street cred, but screw those guys anyways. If you think a person can’t have an authentic experience just because they have 24/7 hot water and clean sheets, you are insane. Besides, what’s so authentic about sitting in the (foreigner) bar all day long and hitting on anything that moves.