Still feeling full from Sun-Ling's birthday dinner and cake, we rode the Metro to the NE corner of West Lake and walked west through the hills to the Zhejiang University campus. Then south to Mei Ren Peak (Mei Ren Feng 美人峰) and 357 meters of elevation. Around 4 pm we headed west down out of the hills and returned home via bus and subway. About 15 hilly kms walked.
The first part of our walk was along West Lake where these folks were filling up their water tank with water from West Lake. Nice!
This guy is writing Chinese characters with water.
Our first goal is the slender Baochu Pagoda in the distance.
Looking to a causeway (with willows and tourists) on West Lake.
The very pleasing Baochu Pagoda.
Then on to the Baopu Taoist Temple, founded about 400 AD, where I caught this devotee (or maybe nun) studying on a stairway.
Baopu Temple and rock garden.
And the very yellow ticket office.
Next stop, Sunrise Hill where this guy had carried up all that gear to stretch (to music), play the flute, and otherwise exhibit himself. ;-)
We stopped for a lunch break with a hazy view of West Lake - more EV (Electric Vehicle) taxis needed.
Then down the hill and through the Zhejiang University campus, passing the statue of Chairman Mao before heading up into the hills towards Meiren (Beauty) Peak.
Several surprises on the path. First, a man moving stones with horses. Second, two ladies collecting pine pollen as if it where a precious commodity. That gave us quite a laugh. At our home there is so much pine pollen it's a nuisance we told them. They use it to add taste to a fermented beverage. And last, rain barrels used for forest fire prevention.
Trail blazes for the Hangzhou 100 KM Trail Run.
At 4 pm we decided to head down from the hills and find our way back home. Luck had us run into a pair of engineers who were foraging for bamboo shoots. We followed them down to their project: a 13 km section of highway with tunnels and viaducts.
Leaving the engineers, we walked through a beautiful valley with a non-touristy Buddhist Temple, tea plantations and cemeteries. Turns out that Sun-Ling's grandfather's younger brother and wife are buried here.
And finally into a bustling village where it seemed that we were in a scene from a movie. Then 2 hours in rush hour traffic (bus + metro) to get home just before 7 PM. Whew!
Stay tuned for day three.
Long day! And the weather doesn't look great.
ReplyDeleteYes, the pollen is upon us. I think it may just be over, although my deck is still yellow. Maybe there's an opportunity there?
Amazed that the ladies are collecting pine pollen. It never occurred to me that there was a use for it! Jake has been enthusiastically rinsing off our front porch. We have had two days of rain so think the pine pollen showers are over.
ReplyDeleteLoved the puctures of filling up on water from the lake.
What use the water from West Lake? Drinking? If so, how is it decontaminated before drinking?
ReplyDeleteAs Kathy and Liz have noted, looks like you have missed the pine pollen season. Rain has helped quell the yellow peril. Why would the women collect in the forest when it is so easily scraped off the windshield;-}
15 hilly KM. A worthy day's hike. Will day 3 top this? Stay tuned.
Sun-Ling says she remembers when she was growing up in China that pine pollen was used as "baby powder". How about that?
ReplyDeleteCrash: I'm pretty sure that the water being pumped into that tank was going to be used to water plants, flowers, and trees around the lake. But not 100% sure. ;-)
Kathy, The weather that day was pretty good for a long day of hiking: cloudy and high of 70 F. Clear skies and cooler would be best, but not to be that day. Stay tuned.