Our official agenda for June 8th included two items, a tour of Hangzhou landscape spot and departure for Xiao Shan Airport for our flight to Jinan. Most of us had read about the large public park in Hangzhou and were eager to experience it. We grabbed umbrellas from our hotel room closets and loaded into taxicabs for a short drive to West Lake, the landscape spot. West Lake is to Hangzhou what Central Park is to New York City - except there is more water in the largest public park in Hangzhou. We toured the park on a rainy day, as you can
see from the pictures. In spite of the rain, there were many people strolling the walks, taking pictures of their companions, dancing in pavilions, and enjoying boat rides. In fact, because of the dragon holiday, there were many families with children in the park the day we were there. Some of the people we saw were dressed in special outfits, probably for an event related the holiday. Lucille took this picture of a little girl dressed in a red traditional dress at one of the many pavilions.
see from the pictures. In spite of the rain, there were many people strolling the walks, taking pictures of their companions, dancing in pavilions, and enjoying boat rides. In fact, because of the dragon holiday, there were many families with children in the park the day we were there. Some of the people we saw were dressed in special outfits, probably for an event related the holiday. Lucille took this picture of a little girl dressed in a red traditional dress at one of the many pavilions.
Mr. Huang, the business owner whose factory we visited the day before, joined us in our West Lake excursion. When the rain grew to more than a drizzle, he hailed a small bus for a tour around the lake. This suited our need to stay dry and to see as much as possible in the limited time available. The picture on the left shows Jinshui, umbrella in hand, sitting next to the driver/tour guide.
The guide, speaking in Chinese, probably told us many interesting things about the history of the park. Our hosts shared some of the facts, but not everything, because after a while it became apparent that they would not be able to keep up with his recitation. We were happy to see the sights and hear about the highlights - descriptions of statues, temples, and other sights.
There are numerous pavilions around the lake and many, many lotus blossoms, as you can see in the picture on the right. We saw several different kinds of watercraft, from small to large, simple to ornate. The simple boats in the picture below carried just one or two passengers besides the pilot. Other larger boats seemed to have the capacity to carry dozens of passengers. One of them, elaborately carved and painted to resemble a gold dragon, was probably used for dinner cruises and other special excursions on the lake.
There are numerous pavilions around the lake and many, many lotus blossoms, as you can see in the picture on the right. We saw several different kinds of watercraft, from small to large, simple to ornate. The simple boats in the picture below carried just one or two passengers besides the pilot. Other larger boats seemed to have the capacity to carry dozens of passengers. One of them, elaborately carved and painted to resemble a gold dragon, was probably used for dinner cruises and other special excursions on the lake.
After making our way around the lake, we returned to the hotel and piled into taxicabs to drive to the airport. It was raining even harder as we drove past high rise residential and business buildings. In the limited visibility I thought "This could be any modern city in any country."
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