We got up at 7 AM, Bruce having slept well, me not so well. I was awake for quite a while in the middle of the night. Still not entirely on this time zone. We went downstairs in the hotel for breakfast at what is called San Marco western restaurant. It does a buffet, lots of chafing dishes with English labels. Eating with subtitles! I had cantaloupe and watermelon slices, a meat dumpling, a sausage, a wedge of sweet potato, green mystery vegetables, and a hard boiled egg (boiled in black tea). I shared Bruce’s black rice sticky sweet ball. It was all good. Sarah and Dan had omelets and bacon and more western things. There were probably eighty more choices with lots of sauces and condiments, some extremely baffling like one translated as “meat floss.” I watched a man put it on his porridge. I tried a smidgen; it was sweet and not meaty.
After breakfast and after Dan and Sarah got a new room because their shower was flooding, we took a cab downtown to the center of the city. We felt ready to leave the Disneyland atmosphere of the hotel /expo center. It was a fairly controlled 30 minute ride. Cab drivers center their cars on the white or yellow line for flexibility in maneuver and use their horns a lot. I only gasped twice. The seats in the cab were covered with immaculately clean white fabric slipcovers. We decided (there were 5 of us) to check off ‘shopping’ on our to-do lists. So we headed for a busy street two blocks back from the famous West Lake, a beautiful lake. More later regarding the lake. First we worked our way through multitudes of shirt and sweater shops and stalls. Prices tended to start at 19 Yuan (approximately $2.40 US).
Yesterday and today we saw NO other Caucasian tourist types, so we got lots of stares, and also many people saying ‘hello’ or ‘how are you’ and just wanting to make friendly contact. I found it nice when people wanted to greet us. Sarah and I eyed all the babies, and smiled and noted their bare bottoms in many cases. The infants’ pants didn’t close and were open to the air. We didn’t see how well that system works, but it saves on diapers. Then came underwear stores, then shoe stores. There was a market where Sarah bought a hair ornament and I bought band aids for my blisters. Dan, Sarah, and I were too big to fit into any clothes there. Our other companion was a very tall woman, so she couldn’t buy clothes or shoes. Sarah got some shoes, sort of a heavily beaded denim wedge.
We had all been amazed by the commonly worn shirts adorned with English words of no meaning or relevance whatever, and Bruce finally couldn’t resist buying one. The front proclaims “Super Power Mogao, Function Made Itself,” while the back repeats that claim, prefaced with the words “Thermo Dynamics.” A check with Google reveals that Mogao is the location of the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, but we are still at a loss to comprehend the full meaning of the shirt.
The traffic was crazy busy but not too noisy, as the scooters are electric. More cars and buses than bicycles. We decided to eat at McDonalds, as a cultural experience. It was there, we were hungry, and it is interesting to see the local changes to the familiar menu. For example, I had a Korea burger. It was great, with a tasty, spicy BBQ sauce and cucumbers and cabbage on top. My drink was a bright blue soda, so minty it was like gargling. I drank half then remembered we are supposed to be avoiding ice cubes. We then turned and walked down the other side of the street where the stores were much pricier, the merchants didn’t chase you around, lowering the prices as they went (as on the first side of the street). We found an ATM so that was good.
Here are a couple of pix from downtown Hangzhou. Note what happens when a trackless trolley breaks down in the middle of an intersection.
Then we headed for the lake, after a quick and amazingly expensive trip to Hagen Daaz. The ice cream was more expensive than the clothes. When we finally got to the lake we understood why it is so well known, at least in China. Very beautiful misty layers of hills, tranquil water, with perhaps ten or so varieties of small boats floating around. It was very warm, maybe 85. The others walked farther than me. I rested my feet and pulled out my sketch pad. Some people watched me and gave me a thumbs up. I felt I was in an animated Chinese painting it was so picturesque.
Back at the hotel, Bruce is napping, while I am trying not to, to see if my sleep is better if I don’t. Must describe this room later. We plan to boil our bottled water, then make a noodle bowl (ramen) for supper. Last night’s supper was too scary.
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