China Chronicles Day 4

Morning call was not so early - 7 a.m.. We had breakfast at the hotel’s café and I was pleasantly surprised...The café's interiors were tastefully done but it was small, cozy; food selection is comparable to Holiday Inn breakfast fare - maybe not as many dishes but definitely better food than the other hotels we stayed at.

After breakfast, Tony took us around West Lake, a place Hangzhou is very famous for. The lake, surrounded by mountains on three sides, has three man made islands in the middle. The Hangzhou local government developed the lake and the areas surrounding it into a strip of cafes, causeways and tourist attractions. Shangri-la Hangzhou is within the vicinity of the lake. West Lake is a beauty and it certainly beckons one to just sit on the benches, gaze out at the lake or read a book; you know, a place to just 'chill out'. Now, to get another view of West Lake, Tony was going to take us on a boat ride (oh no, not again! But this time it was perfectly safe...) that went around the lake.


at the back of the love boat

In the middle of the lake there are 3 hollow pagodas, the sides of which have moon shaped "cut-outs". Tony explains that during the Spring Festival, lamps/bulbs are placed inside these pagodas and are covered with paper. At nighttime, you get a spectacular view of what they call 'The Lake that Mirrors the Moon'. This view shows you 32 moons! 32 because the pagodas give off the reflection of 30 moons. Then you have the real moon up above and its own reflection hence, 32 moons. I'm sure the place is much more beautiful during spring or summer when the flowers are also in full bloom.

After the boat ride, we walked around the park, took some pictures and made our way into a neighboring restaurant for lunch.

pose tayo sa puno


the beauties

Then it was back to Shanghai via bus.