Hangzhou

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We arried in Hangzhou about 11pm and walked out of the bus station into a mob of locals who were all trying to get us into their cabs, some legal, many not. Half the guys couldn't speak english and the ones who could hardly anyone knew where our hostel was. Pretty intense scene at 11pm in a new city. We decided to go with the guy who looked least likely to mug us (who coincidentally was the smallest) and hopped into his cab with fingers crossed. The guy got us to some place and pointed down some seedy little alley and said the hostel is down there. Thinking that we were being set up for a bit of going over by a few of his friends I sat in the back of his cab and refused to budge. After a while I realise I looked like a bit of a wally so left his cab and tentatively went down the alley. All was good when I discovered it was actually our hostel and perhaps I should be a little more trusting next time!

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The following day we needed to wash some clothes as we hadn't done any since we left the UK and we were stinking. Looking like a couple of rejects from a really crap boy band (we were wearing vests, the only thing that didn't need washing) we minced off for a look around Hangzhou. Hangzhou is famous for having a massive lake and loads of different walkways around it. Marco Polo described it as the most beautiful place on earth and it would be hard to disagree. It is hard to explain but it is a bit like Bourton on the Water, only bigger, nicer and not in the cotswolds. The first day we just got our bearings and had a nap. On the second day we got up early and attempted to circumnavigate the lake. Was a lovely sunny day and the walks were really nice. We kept getting asked to have our pictures taken with people. At one point when some guy asked I decided to turn the tables around and asked him if I could get a picture of me and him as well. Needless to say he loved it and we are now firm friends forever. Might even be friends on facebook one day. About halfway around the lake there is a forest with a small mountain in the middle. We decided to veer off and have a little hike up and see what the views were like. At the top of the climb there is a small two level temple about 15 foot high where you can walk up the stairs and get a better view. There was a Chinese guy just outside the temple who was meditating or something then the next moment he literraly scambled up the wall like something out of Crouching Tigher Hidden Dragon. It was pretty bizarre. When I went down he was sort of showing people how to do it, so never one to back down from a challenge I gave Noddy my bag and tried to climb a 15 foot high wall. After a few attempts, one where I nearly fell 8 foot and broke my back I gracefully retired in the knowledge that as the guy doing it was about 50 years old I had plently of time to climb it later on in life!