Hangzhou-Day 2

Another busy touring day. We started at 8:30. I had wanted to go to the LDS branch, and had looked up the address, but our tour guide said he couldn't translate it, and that it was far away, so I decided to just stick with the group. I really think that he could have put a little more effort into it.

I had gone out walking to the lake at 7 am and didn't get back until 8, so I missed breakfast trying to get ready to go, but after all the food we have been eating I didn't miss it.

We visited a pagoda, took a cruise on Westlake, ate a huge lunch, visited a temple where we listened to traditional Chinese music and Chinese Opera, went to a Tea Plantation and had dinner. We were complaining because we weren't hungry. They feed us WAY too much. It was pouring rain today. And then suddenly this afternoon it cleared up.

We got back to the hotel around 7:00. I decided to go out looking for a banana cause I've been craving one. I walked around the block and found a fruit and vegetable stand. I love getting out into the neighborhoods, that's where you see how the real Chinese live. There are numerous small stores that fill up entire blocks. While walking around the block I saw the following:
noodle shop, hair dressing place, a family cooking dinner on a hot plate, while nearby a woman was washing out her clothes in a bucket of water while yelling at her kids who were getting in the way, a group of men playing cards, several fruit and vegetable stands, copy center (a bunch of copy machines lined up along the walls (don't picture a Kinkos), children with grandparents riding bikes, groups of women doing line dancing,

I had totally forgotten about the hard beds. Oh, are they hard!

Westlake