Hangzhou: May 1 - 4, 2019

Working full time, raising a family, and trying to cut down on screen time to be with said family makes it really hard to keep up blogging. That's ok -- Instagram has proven a quick way to get out the little soundbites of life. One magical day, as my kids say, I'll hopefully have time to get everything down where it should be for the book everyone keeps telling me to write. But for now -- here are the very rough notes from our trip to Hangzhou in May.

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Wednesday May 1st

• Check out a night market: fortunately there was one across from our hotel, because we missed our train and didn't arrive until dark. 
• We wandered around the neighbourhood until we found a restaurant serving up local cuisine. Beggar's chicken & longjing shrimp were the winners. 

Thursday May 2nd

• Lingyin Temple & Feilai Peak: it took forever to get here thanks to the crowds. But it was totally worth it. We found a small restaurant selling beggar's chicken and cold noodles, so scarfed down some lunch before heading to the peak. There are all kinds of Buddhas carved into the mountainside. We reached the peak, climbed back down, and then went over to Lingyin Temple which is 1700 years old and climbed all around the premises. It was so beautifully peaceful up in the mountains. 
• West Lake: To beat the crowding on the busses, we decided to walk back from Feilai to Hangzhou, via West Lake's shores. It was a long walk but so beautiful to watch the landscape change with the coming night. Everyone was ready to sit down to a hearty meal, and lots of cold beer, when we reached the city.

Friday May 3rd

• Hangzhou National Tea Museum: This was the most relaxing experience. We got to climb up the tea terraces, eat an al fresco lunch, go to a tea tasting, and then take afternoon tea in a rock & water garden. 
• Hefang Ancient Street: Not that dissimilar from Qibao Town in Shanghai, but it was worth a look. 
• West Lake Dragon Boat Night Cruise: It was nice to see the lake all lit up at night. Lots of bugs & bats which Annie loved. 

Saturday May 4th

• Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception: This was a very special experience -- parishioners were setting up for a wedding but were so welcoming to us. They let us wander all of the church, taking photos of the stained glass, and then brought us to the parish hall to have a drink of water and a rest. 

We really enjoyed the local food, which was a lot lighter than Shanghai fare (Shanghai food is typically oily & sweet). Beggar's chicken was a particular favourite and we managed to eat one every day. These were the dishes we made sure to hunt down:

• Dongpo Pork (東坡肉, dōng pō ròu): stewed in an emulsion of vinegar and sugar together with scallions and ginger. Usually served in a ceramic clay pot.
• Sweet and Sour West Lake Carp (西湖醋鱼, Xīhú cù yú)
• Dragon Well Tea Shrimp (龙井虾仁, Lóngjǐng xiārén)
• Beggar’s Chicken (叫花鸡)
• Pian Er Chuan Noodles (片儿川面)
• Deep Fried Tofu Skin Rolls (干炸响铃)
• Stewed Bamboo Shoots (糟烩鞭笋)
• Longjing Tea (locally grown)