Typhoon Thursday

Thursday, September 15th

The rain is back and the weather forecast looks worse than yesterday, so we relaxed a bit and took our time getting out of the room.  We decided to head over to the Four Seasons because we had read that their Hangzhou hotel is one of the top in China.  Like every Four Seasons property, everything from decor to service was immaculately done and we couldn't help but sit down in their bistro restaurant to treat ourselves to a fancy lunch.  We haven't done much on this trip at a leisurely pace, so we enjoyed the opportunity to sit back and relax.  We have major hotel envy!

After exploring the hotel grounds, we walked to the Lingyin Temple, which was a much farther walk than anticipated... Or maybe it just felt long since we had to do it in the rain.  The temple is inside a scenic park, which was mobbed.  I can't believe how many people are out and about in this weather.  As soon as we bought our tickets and went through the gates, the typhoon let loose.  It was pouring buckets as we tried to light our incense in the courtyard, leave an offering and experience the Buddhist traditions associated with the temple.  This is one of the major Zen Buddhist shrines in China and the name translates to Temple of Soul's Retreat.  No disrespect to the Buddhist religion, but my soul is retreating right now... to somewhere sunny and dry.  I'm soaked... Even though I'm wearing my waterproof hiking boots, I can feel my feet sopping in puddles of water.

We took a taxi back to the lake to walk along the shore and continue exploring, but the rain refused to let up.  At this point the rain was running off our rain coats onto our shorts and we were drenched.  Before we called it a day and headed back to the hotel, we took a quick detour through the Hefang Street Market.  Even with the elements, the vendors were set up selling everything from tea leaves, to silk scarves to trinkets to fried insects.  There was really no great way to buy anything though because we had our backpacks zippered under our rain coats and it was hard enough keeping the water out even with the protection of an umbrella.  Not that I would have been brave enough to buy fried insects anyway...

At this point, we're done.  We grabbed a taxi, enjoyed long, hot showers and then headed downstairs for dinner at the Italian restaurant in our hotel.  I was excited to see a Pinot Noir from Forrest vineyard in Marlborough, New Zealand, on the menu... I had done a wine tasting there when I traveled through New Zealand in December, so we ordered a bottle!

We also tried the famous Longjing tea, aka "Dragon Well" tea.  It's a fine and delicate green tea that is cultivated in the Longjing Village, just a thirty minute drive from Hangzhou.  The Chinese suggest a minimum of eight cups a day to ensure longevity, but I'm thinking that might be a hoax at $7.50 USD per cup.  At least that's what we paid for our taste.  I'm not a tea connoisseur, but I give it two thumbs up... I drank every last drop, which might have also had something to do with getting my money's worth.

We were very disappointed that the clouds didn't break long enough for us to get a peak at the full moon tonight as this was one of the things we were looking forward to most when we were planning our China trip.  It's a shame we didn't get a dry, sunny day to experience this town, but based on how it was bustling in this weather, we can only imagine the scene on a nice day.