Hangzhou Global Tour: Day four

My fourth day in Hangzhou started out with a very early morning walk around West Lake. On this day the light was perfect, accentuating the details of the scene and providing an opportunity to capture some lovely photos of the famed body of urban water.

I was surprised by how much activity was going on at such an early hour; there was a mobile truck with a sound system and lots of people participating in exercise routines, while others were waltzing, not only to the harmony of the music, but to the sight of West Lake itself.

As we continued walking we observed many other activities, such as the graceful moves of Tai Chi being preformed. There were also art students painting the scene before us, which highlighted mountains in the background with ornate Chinese boats passing in the foreground—as the light shimmered off the water and the weeping willow branches from the shore brushed the surface. It was Living Poetry in motion.

While the Hangzhou Global Tour families were participating in some dance lessons under a gazebo of sorts, near a patch of blooming lotus flowers, I decided to wander around on my own a bit. During my visits to West Lake I have been struck by the architectural beauty of the arched bridges that connect the various tributaries to the lake. Just beyond one of these bridges I saw a man holding what looked to be a large bicycle wheel (without the tire). At first I thought he was fishing, but upon closer inspection I saw that he was flying a kite, but not like any kit I’d seen before. As I looked into the sky I saw a large hawk flying gracefully past some cotton ball clouds. Then, I followed the man’s kite string into the air and noticed it was attached to the hawk. The large bird looked so real I was shocked to discover that it was in fact the kite the man was flying.

We then made our way to a silk museum, which to be honest, I wasn’t all that excited about. However, we have the most extraordinary tour guide on our trip named Sue Shu who makes everything interesting. While the Global Tour families were doing some filming, Sue gave me a private tour.  We stopped by an areas that illustrated the various dynasties that have ruled China. We must have spent an hour there as Sue explained the history and gaps between each of the dynasties. Some people may have found this boring, but I soaked it up as I have a veracious appetite for history. Sue is an amazing storyteller and she knows her stuff like no ones business. Sue also speaks very good English. In addition to providing tours in Hangzhou, Sue also takes Chinese tourists to Iran, where she has been eleven times. It was wonderful listening to her stories about visiting Persia and the political dynamics surrounding it.

We then made our way to an extraordinary park of sorts…it’s the compound that was built in the mid-1800s by a man who had become the richest in all of China at the time.

The other highlight of the day for me was our dinner meal, which was at one of the largest restaurants I think I’ve eaten. The building must have been four or five stories, each floor a series of rooms…some communal, while others were private for groups like ours. The restaurant was Xin Bailu and they have a wonderful tagline: Healthy food is our responsibility. The food was not only healthful, but also full of flavor and uniqueness. We’ve had a lot of wonderful meals during our stay in Hangzhou, but I thought this one might be the best so far. I made this comment during the meal and one of our host organizers actually told us that this meal was the least expensive so far. She went on to say that Xin Bailu is where all the local eat because of the quality and affordable prices.

The food in Hangzhou has been so unexpectedly good, and, so unlike the Chinese food we get in America. I cannot wait for our next culinary journey, so please stay tuned for highlights from Day Five of this epic journey known as the Hangzhou Global Tour. Click here to read the previous days’ highlights. Click here to read the next day’ highlights.