Hangzhou - Day 2

I slept much better the next night and slept in that morning. We enjoyed a simple breakfast of bread, lotus seeds, sesame brittle, and warm water. 

Very light and refreshing. We were going to go on a bike ride around the lake but we slept in too late and didn’t have time because we were going to meet up with Chen Chen’s friend for lunch who lives in Hangzhou, plus it was raining (again). We waited for the bus for a while to go into town – Lincoln and A Do got bored and started playing like the little kids they are and attempted to do some “parkour”. 

After a while we figured out that because it was national day, some of the buses weren’t running, including the one we were waiting for. So, we walked some more and found a running bus that would take into town. After the bus we found ourselves in the middle of town on a random street still waiting to find out where her friend was. So while we were waiting to find out , we took some fun pictures (on Lincoln’s camera, not mine, sorry) of us climbing bus stops and attempting to some more parkour. We also were beat boxing, dancing, and singing/rapping on some random stairs. 

I have some fun videos, but not sure if I can upload those. We should’ve put out a hat though and got some money from passing strangers! Haha, fun way to pass the time. We walked a ways and found Chen Chen’s best friend from middle school and her boyfriend, where we met and ate at a great restaurant. After her friend treated us to lunch, we headed to the other side of the lake where we had not yet been. It was rainy and crowded, but quite beautiful.

 A Do and I got a little lost and separated from the others, so we took advantage of the opportunity to explore! We found some awesome areas that were off the path a bit and he tried to do some more parkour, but it was just too wet and rainy. We were wandering at a slow pace and enjoying the beauty of the gardens around the lake. 

Too wet and rainy to play...

Can you see me?

Chen Chen called us and we met back up with them, but for some reason her friend wanted to walk quickly and didn’t appreciate us stopping for so many pictures. I was getting a little frustrated and wanted to just separate from the group again because I couldn’t figure out why they were in a hurry to go no where, but we stayed with the group anyway and got a few good pictures in. 

It was getting pretty cold, but it was really beautiful with the wind and rain. A Do and I enjoyed walking on the side path (instead of with the others on the main road which was very crowded) where we could hear the water splashing up on the rocks. 

We both enjoy singing quite a bit and had a fun time as he taught me songs that I then would come up with the harmony part to and we would have little duets together. He would also beat box as I sang. I was one of the only foreigners there so it was funny to not only get looks from others because of seeing a foreigner with another Chinese person, but also because we were singing together loudly in public, and not caring what others thought. And we sounded pretty good too, it was fun. 

After a cold and rainy walk across the lake (there is a bridge of land that goes through the middle) we stopped at the other side for a rest. We said goodbye to her friend and friend’s boyfriend and headed to KFC. Not because anyone was hungry, but because we were cold and tired and wanted to sit down. Chen Chen and Lincoln got some snacks and A Do and I finished off the rest of the Lotus seeds and sesame brittle from breakfast. 

Playing with the Lotus plants in KFC

We then took a nap in KFC for about an hour. This is pretty normal, by the way. We probably weren't the only ones in there sleeping. China is so random like that. We woke up from our nap and headed to the buses. It was quite crowded, but we squeezed on and headed to a temple up in the mountains. It was almost dark and it was too late so by the time we got there, they said we could buy the tickets to go to the temple, but couldn't actually go in, just hike up to it and see the outside. Lame. Chen Chen was pretty upset and disappointed because she really wanted to see the temple, but all we could so was take pictures outside tee gate.  

So we got on yet another crowded bus and headed back into town for dinner. We found a nice little place and enjoyed a nice meal with a whole chicken cooked in Lotus leaves (as you can tell, Lotus is very popular and in abundance in Hangzhou) and some other yummy dishes. 

Can you tell what that is I'm about to put in my mouth?

After dinner, we were pretty tired and were going to straight back to the hostel until Chen Chen gave us a little pep talk, encouraging us to get energy so we could do something adventurous that we wouldn’t normally do while in Shanghai. So, we headed to KTV. Actually, at this point I had some pretty terrible blisters  on my feet so A Do and I headed to find a pharmacy to buy some band aids while Chen Chen and Lincoln got us a room at the KTV down the street. Finally, after many incorrect directions from locals, we found the pharmacy and then headed to the KTV.

We had fun singing, but we were all pretty darn tired, so it was less energetic than usual, but still fun. I picked a few American songs to sing (which had the music videos in the back ground) and I then realized why all Chinese people think all Americans are disgusting party animals. I rarely watch music videos, much less listen to what junk is on the radio, and I’m glad I don’t. These music videos were gross, and I remembered that’s just normal stuff people watch in the states – gross! I felt uncomfortable and wanted to apologize for all Americans, ugh. I much prefer cheesy Chinese music videos that make no sense.

After KTV we headed back to the hostel. I stayed up to do some more homework and to Skype with mom. My friends wanted to hear Chris beat box so I called my dear brother over Skype, woke him up, and made him beat box for my friends over the computer. It was awesome and they loved it. They couldn’t believe how funny my brother was! Like he should be on TV! Haha it was cute how blown away they were. Lincoln had fallen asleep so he missed it, but maybe we can show him his amazing beat boxing another time. I stayed up too late Skyping with mom and then continued to stay up way too late talking with A Do down in the living area of the hostel. Finally around 1am, we headed to bed...

...That ends day 2 of Hangzhou. Here are some more pictures from the day. Enjoy!

Waiting, trying to figure out which buses are running.

The whole group!

A monk walking up to the temple.

Even though we didn't get into the temple, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery near it. 

I like that Chen Chen's eyes look blue in this picture.

KTV

A Do was trying to be sneaky and get a picture of me Skyping with mom,
but he couldn't figure out how to change the settings to get a clear shot haha :)