an 8 am flight is not one of my favourite things. made less so by the dreaded phrase ‘delayed due to fog.’ to add insult to injury, even the flight for fogsville dalian took off. and now for something completely unexpected, kudos to the service industry. air china actually provided breakfast while we waited: steamed buns (with and without red bean paste filling), hard-boiled egg, pickled veg, gruel. (hands-down best service ever in china award however goes to xueliang optometrist who provides services such as replacing the nose-pads of spectacles, for free! even though I didn’t make the glasses there! and offering tea while i waited!)
eventually took off at 10.30 am, which was of course, the time of my original flight on hainan airlines which was later postponed to 3 pm, hence the switch to the air china flight.
bought map of hangzhou for 5 rmb at the airport with the guy insisting at first that the tattered copy I was holding was a new one. let the games begin.
first cab I got into, driver said ‘it’s an expensive cab’ and asked for 160 rmb. having gotten a yardstick figure of 100 rmb fr a friend who was just here, hopped right out. the next cab had the meter going. fare came to 83 rmb, and the cabbie asked for 100 rmb. sure, since it was the second day of the new year.
took a while to find the hostel (http://www.jiangnanyi.com/) as it was tucked into the side of a hillslope. had reserved a single with an attached bathroom for 180 rmb. (prices are up fr 150 rmb normally.) place is located on the west side of the lake, but not on the bank. it’s also the less developed side, so it’s quieter but less convenient for food, shopping etc. the room was fine, though youth hostels in china=thin mattresses. would also have preferred heating in the bathroom, but at least no problems with the hot water. the staff were friendly enough, if a little harried at breakfast time given that it was fully booked. a tick in the plus column if u like animals. there were at least 3 cats and 2 dogs which had the run of the place, including a puppyish puppy, all excitable and energetic and lying down every so often, exhausted by its own enthusiasm. (the other youth hostel is located right on the east bank and within walking distance of grub and malls on yan’an road.)
decided to walk down to the lakeside after dumping the bag in the room. first major sight was ‘viewing fish at flower pond.’ west lake has, 10 or 18 or 20, such setpieces, often evocative of a season (malting (sic) snow at broken bridge, autumn moon over the clam (sic) lake) or specific time of day (three pools mirroring the moon, leifeng pagoda in evening glow). in other words, none are at their best in heavy fog. but this being the Chinese new year break, tourist groups abound, a multitudinous wave of humanity determined to enjoy the peace and quiet of west lake. or not. still, there were pockets of stumbled-upon solitude and unexpected beauty. the ma yifu memorial hall, located in the jiang villa, was largely deserted, the tour groups having made a beeline for the stressed-out and overfed red carp.
traversed the 2.8 km su causeway on foot. bought a steamed wine-dark corncob for 5 rmb. looked better than it tasted.
didn’t want dinner at a tourist trap, so walked down beishan road for a bit as the official (and free) hangzhou guide had a few places helpfully listed on that street. (www.gotohz.com is a good place to check out some basic facts regarding hangzhou. the printed English copy is a lot more detailed than what’s available in English online though.) went into the first one, caiyun xuan, that looked as if locals might dine there. ordering for one is a pain. ended up with dongpo pork, which thankfully came in single serving portions of 8 rmb. the amount of fat in one serving though would have busted any RDA requirement. still, it was melt-in-your-mouth fat which went splendidly with the tender morsels of meat. also, some mishmash dish of chicken, luncheon meat and pig’s stomach (28 rmb) which was soupy and passable, as well as a large bowl of pian’erchuan (8 rmb, noodles in soup with pork slices and veggies). considering the prices, 8 rmb for a glass of chrysanthemum tea was steep.
too tired to navigate the public transport system, so took a cab back. to find the lobby of the hostel packed with diners. huh.