The Low Down

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Charlotte Decker <cadecker9@gmail.com>
Date: 2011/6/20
Subject: The Low Down
To: "cadecker9.china" <cadecker9.china@blogger.com>


So to summarize my trip of Hangzhou, I decided to make bullet points. I will use bullet points to explain why: 

• Bullet points are quick and efficient.
• If gives you a good summary of what you actually need to know.
• I have a problem with typing too much. 

That being said, here is the quick (bullet-pointed) summary of my trip to Hangzhou and today with a few pictures if it is actually working. I will continue hopefully posting real photos and not imaginary ones for a whole month. 

• I can officially check "Be in a Monsoon" off of my life bucket list. It was the most rain I have ever seen in my life. Really. 
• Hangzhou's Taxi Cabs hate Americans. It's official. We ran up to one and they drove an extra 30 feet ahead when we got there so they could pick up a Chinese woman instead. Mind you, this was in the monsoon. 
• Best way to get a cab in Hangzhou: We ended up turning around and letting my Korean (chinese-looking) friend flag down a cab. Little did they know they would be taking the enemy with them too. Got'cha!
• Xihu (West Lake) was the first place I can actually say was pretty in China. (Picture attached...hopefully).  
• We found a Sweet Frog-like place in Hangzhou! Little did we know our small cup would cost the same as our dinner for 2 people. Whoops
• 爆炸巧克力(baozha qiaokeli)=chocolate explosion: We found a great definition of this in Hangzhou in the form of something with the brand name Collon. Appetizing, right? All bad connotations with this will be erased once you try one of these things. 
• Hangzhou is world famous for their silk. While I did go to the Silk History Museum, I didn't actually buy any silk. It is probably for the best because I discovered today that the stuff my friends bought was fake. #winning
• Instead of going for a night out on the town, my room mate, another girl, and myself decided to take showers, don our bathrobes from the hotel, and watch American movies. It was fantastic. 
• The breakfast in the hotel was excellent! Complete with your choice of some form of egg rice, lo mein, watermelon, french fries with ketchup, and complete with hot orange juice. I swear it was a lot better than it sounds. 
• Yingli si was BY FAR my favorite place of the trip. It's a Buddhist Temple and I can only describe it as unbelievable. It has the biggest statue in China and the amount of work put into rebuilding this place blew me away. (Since its construction about 2000 years ago, it has been torn down and rebuilt about 16 times!) Also, the dedication of the people there was unbelievable. I liked it most because it was actually real. People were actually there worshipping and Monks were actually there. It was breath taking to watch. Not to mention, the architecture and design was amazing. I think I am starting to take after my mom more and more on the whole religion fascination. 
• We also went to TIger Springs, 6 Harmonies Pagoda, Hefang Jie and Xixi (a wetland of sorts). So much to see in such a little time. So exhausting and the first time I have felt like a tourist on this trip. 
• I have officially used a hole in the ground as a toilet at a rest stop. AWKWARD. 
• Don't ever watch China's Got Talent. It is god awful. I gave you full warning.
• Live eels were chilling in an aquarium in the lobby of the restaurant we ate in yesterday. Along with turtles and the rest of the fish and stuff that were going to be cooked once someone ordered them. Mind you, this is also the display in our college cafeteria here. Really a nice decorative touch. 
• With that being said I can't wait to go to Beijing and spend a whole week! Shopping galoreeeee so I hear! 

A note for my day today: 

The sky was actually blue today and we could see the sun!!! I think this is China's form of a rainbow from God since it is impossible to ever actually have a rainbow here. Lesson from today: even if the hardest rains occur, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. It was so nice and I was finally able to go for a run. Mind you, a run that I felt like I was being asphyxiated during but it was still a run none the less! Also, China's watermelon might just be better than America's. They give them a good run for their money. 

So this still ended up being pretty long, but hopefully the next will be better. It is a work in progress.

Good morning America, Good night to me! 

-Abs