time to upload some nice photos of hangzhou:
on the train ride, into the sunset, towards hangzhou. the train journey was 1 and a half hours long. it was relatively clean, but we had paid the most expensive tickets (88 yuan for a return ticket) so it was to be expected.
By the time we reached Hangzhou it was about 7pm at night. We took a cab from the train station to the parts nearer the West Lake to look for accomodation. However, we were not in any hurry to find a place as our backpacks were light enough for us to roam around in. So we gradually found ourselves strolling down to the West Lake. Came across the "pleasure boat" which was about to depart so we bought tickets and hopped in to take in the "night scenery" on West Lake. which was rubbish because you could hardly see a thing. but anyways this was one of the towers / pagodas you could barely make out from the middle of the lake. unfortunately, the guide spoke in chinese and at the speed of a bullet-train, i could barely understand half of what she said. plus the microphone she had was crap (there was too much feedback), plus i had to translate for J, PLUS like we were swamped with half the chinese population on the boat who spoke at a million decibels. like like like i was glad i could hear anything myself.
drunken live shrimps anyone? i felt really guilty eating them. raw shrimps are fine, but not when they're twisting and wriggling in your firm chopstick grasp. and when they look at you, accusingly, with their beady black eyes. *shudder* that's it. i'm not touching shrimps live or otherwise for the next month.
random statue shots
my favourite picture of all time: the sickly-sweet smelling lotus
