Blogger Blocked!!

Hi all,
I haven't blogged lately because I can't get to my blog to add posts. It's blocked by the censors in China (the entire Blogspot domain is blocked, so it's not something I said...I don't think). In any case, this has happened before and I　hope that the block will be removed soon, but who knows. I　am reachable by email (although that has been known to be blocked on occasion).
Thanks for posting this Linda!

Melinda

Hangin' in Hangzhou

Last week, school was in recess for the May Day holidays and we had a week off. Since most of China had only 3 days off, it was an ideal time to travel (not too crowded). I decided to go to Hangzhou, a fairly large city two provinces south, about 12 hours away by the fastest train. I'd been there once before during my previous trip to China, but at that time I was travel-weary after 18 days of rushing around the country and the city didn't make much of an impression on me.

I took the night train, hard sleeper class, middle bunk. Hard sleeper is better than it sounds. It's basically a room, roughly 5.5 feet wide by 6 feet long by 9 feet high. There are 6 bunks in this space, 3 on each side. There are fold-down seats on the other side of a narrow aisle, but not enough to accomodate all the bunks, so unless you have a bottom bunk (or have a friend that does), you are either laying down or standing and waiting for a seat. So, the night train is the best option since you can sleep away the hours. The best bunk is definitely the middle bunk. While there is not enough room to completely sit up, you can almost sit up. The "hard" part refers to the mattress, but it's not extra hard, actually about the same as my mattress in the dorm.

I got to Hangzhou at 6:30 in the morning, and after 12 hours on my back, I was ready to get off the train. I was very happy my "net friend" Erin who was there to meet me (sorry it was soooo early for you!). She'd arranged a room for me at the inn on her university campus, so we set off on the bus.



I noticed several things about Hangzhou immediately. The air is not dry there; the city is very green; there is almost no luggie hocking (Jinan's favorite form of exercise); people actually wait in lines; cars stop at red lights, even taxis; I am not short in relation to everyone else (Northerners are taller); people stare at me less (more of a casual glance instead of an "aliens-have- landed-on-our-planet-ohmigod" look); the sky is blue.

After checking into the room, we got a bite to eat and then set off for the famed West Lake, the city's claim to fame. The lake is quite large and the city is mostly on one side, although it's growing quickly. All around the lake are paths and gardens and temples and pagodas, etc. The west side of the lake is particularly tranquil and green since most tour groups do not go there. We spent most of the next 3 days strolling on the lake. At night, the city lights and the lighted pagodas create a really magical scene.







I had some tasty meals in Hangzhou, including this stewed chicken baked in a lotus leaf. It was tender and delicious, and I was only slightly startled to find the bird's feet:


The head was also included, and I'm sure I would have been a bit more taken aback if I'd found the head first. At least the eyes were closed... I also indulged in espresso every day. Very expensive habit in Hangzhou, but at least the coffee was decent.

On the return trip, I wasn't lucky enough to get a middle bunk. I got stuck with the top. Not good. Very little head room and about 7 feet off the floor. It's a bit of a tricky climb, so unless you are sleeping, you will be loitering in the aisle. Advice: try to avoid the top bunk if at all possible. When I got back to Jinan, it had been raining hard for over 24 hours, and it was still raining. The streets were flooded to my knees, and I was soaked by the time I got back to the dorm. But, it was good to be "home." All in all, a very relaxing micro-vacation.