From Shanghai, onward by train to Hangzhou (pronounced something like Hong-Jo)! Unassuming by Chinese standards at 6.4 million people, the city manages to distract your gaze from the endless apartment complexes on the outskirts, anxiously urging you on to the serene lake in the center of town. Near the lake is a shopping district that would feel at home in the most gardened sections of the garden state. Even the street food was upscale, which worried me. The commercialized street food made me suspicious that it would be just cafeteria food served outside, but oh-my-gosh the bubble tea was tasty.
The other thing that made me fall in love with Hangzhou (did I mention I'm in love?) is the abundance of rental bicycles. For ten or twenty cents per hour, you can rent a bike and ride around the city. There are bike stands all around the city, and once you're finished you can drop the bike off wherever you end up. I hear that there are some cities in Europe that have a similar system, but this was my first encounter with public bicycles. At least in Hangzhou, most of the people who use the bikes take it easy, pedaling at a comfortable pace across town. There are big sidewalks and bicycle lanes, so there is no need to fight for space. The city already feels tranquil, with the quiet lake and the weeping willows brushing against the water's surface, but the bikes give the tranquility a human touch.
Pedestrian/bicycle path across the lake
The middle of the city is like a quiet lake town
On the top of a pagoda hill, looking out on the city sprawl
It was a good thing I brought some gloves, because it was hard to find gloves that fit my larger-than-chinese hands. Many motorcycles had gloves built into the handlebars, which almost certainly cuts into the market for normal gloves. I hate to go against what most of society probably sees as a public good, but I have so many issues with the idea of gloves that are irreversibly linked to one vehicle. They encourage people to sit on their motorcycle instead of standing, even when they are not riding their vehicle. They limit the ability to adjust the grip on the handlebars, which can lead to handlebar palsy. They create the need for an auxiliary set of gloves, for those times when you are outside but NOT on a motorcycle. This is no joke people. Don't let this terrible invention get the best of your senses. Just say no.
This panda is angry about handlebar gloves too
Given the tranquility that envelopes the lake center of the town, it was only appropriate that, despite the cold weather, these five american kids relive their 7th grade bicycle gang youths in Hangzhou, plowing down the drizzled sidewalks.
Nate and David put their game faces at the bike rental stop
Ian getting ready to roll
Now is probably a good time for a group picture near one of the hilltop pagodas in the city.
Group Picture!
As if it wasn't already a wonderful city, Hangzhou is home to some pretty outrageous nightclubs. I'm sure the wonder of hired dancers and pyrotechnics would wear off after a while (I know, I know, a loooong while), which is why Hangzhou continues to be awesome with a nice range of bars, in case you'd rather have open mics than pyrotechnics. There is at least one great night market with lots of souvenier-worthy shopping... and a Dairy Queen! It was frickin' freezing outside, but it had been half a year since my last blizzard! I'm only human.
Night market!
Just chillin' at a nightclub in Hangzhou
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