Hangzhou

So today Becka and I started our little holiday. We caught a taxi to the airport ("Er, isn't the airport the other way?""I think he's taking us the scenic route. You know, the expensive one") and managed to locate our check in desk and check in satisfactorily. We had been a little apprehensive beforehand as we had not been issued with tickets and we handn't specified hold luggage like you do in the UK. Interestingly the normal flying experience in China seems more akin to what it must have been like in Britain before Ryanair arrived to the sound of a recorded trumpet fanfare: namely, no penny-pinching. You automatically get hold luggage, a free newspaper, and a free meal that really didn't taste that bad. It was actually very nice not to be forever worrying about the cost of everything! And you just show your passport to check in- no need to print bits of paper out.

We landed safely and I managed to avoid the splitting headache I sometimes get when we start to descend. I could feel it coming on but I started breathing really heavily and it went away. Phewf- cos when I say splitting it really is!

We then caught a bus from the airport to Hangzhou train station. I suddenly felt very drowsy on the bus and fell asleep which was a shame as the area around Hangzhou is not like Qingdao at all. I'll write a bit more on this comparison later.

Then we spent a few minutes trying to find an available taxi, which we did, and then several more minutes explaining to the driver where we wanted to go. He didn't know at first where 杭州大酒店, Hangzhou Da Jiudian, Hangzhou Big Hotel was but then he remembered and off we went. We got dropped off outside a humongous skyscraper with 杭州大酒店 scribbled all over it. Becka was a bit dubious that we were staying there as it looked very shiny but it matched the picture I had seen. And then we decided to go in.

In the UK there would be an entrance and in you would go. But this is China. We spent several minutes wandering around some sort of delivery area and trying various entrances that invariably led to shops whilst above us loomed the taunting sign 杭州大酒店. We asked a few people where the entrance was, they pointed to what appeared to be a jade shop/gallery. Then we spotted another door and finally we arrived at the Promised Land. We took the lift up to the 8th floor for reception and I sorted out checking in with my shiny new Chinese. It all went well until we got to the price. 2 nights here were costing us 1500元 which was 400元 more than I had anticipated. Like good British citizens Becka and I paid meekly and then complained the minute we were in the lift. However we went down later, after we had plucked up the courage, and I confronted the receptionist about it. Turns out the extra 400元 was a 押金- deposit. I was very happy that I understood this in Chinese :D

Our room is very snazzy and is on the 23rd floor so we have a magnificent view over Hangzhou and the famous West Lake- which is huge. It's only costing us the equivalent of 30quid a night each and it really is very nice and luxurious- either that or I've been in student accomadation too long...

With our room key we got a little advertisement for some exhibition of Chinese art on the 11th floor- and with your room key you got a free painting... so like good British citizens we went to see what we could get. It was just a room filled with Chinese paintings but they were all very beautiful. There were mountain landscapes, potraits and representations of bamboo and blossom. Becka and I ended up buying two small ones for 50元 each of mountain landscapes in the snow. I made the mistake of asking if there was one with horses on and the woman brought out a huge landscape scene of 8 hourses running in a field. I promptly bought it for 300元. This year abroad really is turning into a game of "I Went to China and I bought a..."

Then  we headed off out to 武林广场 Wulin Square which we had hoped would be worth it but really wasn't. They are building a subway right now and appear to be building it mostly in 武林广场... However there was a fountain with nice statues- although the water was incredibly disgusting and full of rust. The main topic of conversation at this point was listing all the reasons why Qingdao was defo better than Hangzhou and we totally made the right decision to go there and not Hangzhou. We pretended to be convinced. Then we walked down 中山路, Zhongshan Lu, which was a lovely narrow street. We tried to find shoes but encountered the problems of the cheap ones being too small and the big ones being too expensive. We passed a couple of churches and I was a bit sniffy about them- Western ideas have buggered China up enough without adding all that into the mix. Then we found somewhere for dinner. I had several fail moments where I asked for what I thought was mango and turned out to be pumpkin and then spilt my cup of sprite over my tray, the cashier and myself. Becka's fail turned out to be also picking pumpkin and then getting intestine. Of some indeterminate animal. Normally we play a little bit of Animal or Vegetable with the food but we also played Animal, Vegetable or Mineral with Becka's fried egg. It had been cooked so long it appeared to have become some sort of plastic. I tried to take a bit to try but ended up shattering the yolk.

Then we headed back. We remembered that there was an English Mass on at the Church at 6:30, the time at that point was 6:15, and Becka got all nostalgic at the masses of her childhood. Then it started to rain so we detoured to the church and planted ourselves on a pew. We had a bit of musical chairs at the start as we weren't sure if we wanted to be where we could see the words of the songs or where we could see the priest. In the end we went for the priest. We had a bit of singing and then some random bit of the bible was read out- all in excruciating English. The congregation was mostly Chinese although there were a few Africans and about 2 whites. I tried not to burst out laughing. Then the priest read out a long piece of the bible very slowly, mostly because he couldn't read English, about Hanukabab or Hanukkahbab or someone. Then we sang the Lord's Prayer which I thought was a bit strange. Becka steadfastly refused to sing that and just recited it- I was too busy trying to remember the extra Protestant lines at the end. And lolling at the don't lead us into temptation bit. The priest said a bit about asking god to stop abortion which I though was a bit political. Then we all pootled up for our wafer. I'd never done this before- and apparently you're not supposed to do it if you haven't been confirmed oops burn in hell- so probably did something wrong. Crossed myself in the wrong direction or something. The wafer didn't taste very nice and we didn't get any wine. Apparently this is wrong also-maybe it's a law of China that you aren't allowed to give out wine.

And thus ended our spiritual journey for the day. We're tempted to go back tomorrow for a Chinese service.

Odd Moment of the Day: an advert for a post-natal clinic featured what looked like a very pert, mostly nude female on a bed of roses. It seemed a bit divorced from what I imagine a post-natal clinic to look like.

Little Emperor Moment of the Day: kid in the lift had a gigantic lollipop the size of a football. Becka wanted to ask where he'd got it but he left the lift before we could ask.

Qingdao and Hangzhou seem very different. Qingdao gives off the air of having been built before the population has arrived. Everything old has been pulled down and a skyscraper slapped on top. All the roads are very wide and there is no feeling of intimacy with the place. You very much feel like an ant scurrying around. Here in Hangzhou there are lots of little streets lined with trees and by brick buildings smaller than 3 storeys. There are more trees in general which is nice. There are little lanes and courtyards and dishevelled houses that nevertheless feel lived in. The great big empty towers of Qingdao are far less inviting. Here you feel like you are part of the hustle and bustle. Not to denigrate Qingdao, but the good intention to modernise everything and maximise living space has destroyed something worth keeping- even if it was old and worn and dilapidated. I'm not one of those Westerners who want China to be forever in a time warp- just pretty, utterly backwards communities perfect for our facebook pictures- but China shouldn't be so quick to gloss over its less shiny parts.