Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China

We took a train to Hangzhou for two days away from Shanghai. Hangzhou is supposed to be the most visited tourist sight in China by the Chinese.
Lots of blossoms
We booked into a lovely hostel on the edge of West Lake. The staff were very friendly and helpful but the 4 bed bunk room we had had the thinnest mattress we have ever slept on- about 1' or 25mm! It was so hard we knew where our bony bits were! Most Asian beds have hard mattresses but this was really hard.

We hired bicycles and joined the throngs walking and biking around the lake. It was a glorious day and such a clean place it spend time in.
Tori (gate) by the lake
Above the lake is a 5 story pagoda that has collapsed several times but has now been rebuilt over the original base and with a lift and interactive information screens. Some men carried models of their religious idols to the pagoda.


Kerri managed to buy a long winter coat to take home so she was thrilled.


We even managed to bike around the city at night without helmets or lights and survived the ordeal! The night market was interesting with dishes of duck tongue, frog, quail, and whole steamed chicken (including feet and head).