When I arrived, I did my usual go to get a DiDi to my hotel, but this time I was faced with something else. A different sort of indoor waiting area, where you book your car and then there is a screen showing you what bay they are parked in when they arrive, and then you go out and meet them. This is such a clever and clean way to do it. Removing all the everyone pushing at the same place, traffic jams as cars all try to figure it out, or just stopping wherever. I love me some organised chaos, and that’s what this was.
Anyway, I checked into my room for the next few nights, and then headed out to find some dinner and explore a little bit. The next day it was raining but I grabbed my umbrella and headed out to walk around West Lake. Which, as legend has it, is the right time to visit the lake. The legendary romance between the White Snake (Lady White/Bai Suzhen) and her mortal husband Xu Xian blossomed when they first met on the Broken Bridge during a sudden rainstorm. So rainy walks around the river, with partners sharing an umbrella is a romantic experience. I just walked around holding my own umbrella, romancing myself.
I saw my first squirrel while I walked around the lake. Then I saw quite a few squirrels. They definitely like to live in the trees here. The rain cleared and then it was just super muggy! It was pretty much just a big day of walking around, and there were lots of people who had the same idea. I stopped for lunch along the way and that was really it for the day. After he massive lake walk I headed back to my hotel for a bit to chill out and catch up on some work. Then headed out to check out the night for some shopping.
The next day I mostly caught up on some work and headed out for a nice big feed. After my epic walking day I kind of felt like a bit of a rest. It’s been a pretty epic trip so far, especially this last week. AND, I am off to Hello Kitty Park soon. Tomorrow I am moving to a hotel closer to the park in Anji. Today I really wanted to get on top of some bits and pieces.
