Out of the big city and in wonderful, beautiful, relaxed hangzhou!! of course, I felt very different when I first arrived - it's a city, no mistake, and I was overwhelmed at the train station. I was truely a droplet in the sea of people exiting the station.. quite a feeling.. and trying not to stop for fear of getting crushed =P

The hostel is very nice. Great location just by Xihu. Cheap. Wonderfully nice and warm and fun roommates. But when I unpacked I realised that I had left or lost or been robbed of, my nice esprit thin woollen scarf in shanghai. Sign, it was something that kept me warm and made me look more classic/sleek and hence feel much better.. I have another scarf, but it's kind of thick and frumpy.. moped for an hour, then went out, and Xihu hit me, and all was well with the world again =)

didn't go far today. just wandered around a very small bit of the lake, taking too many pictures of flowers and plants and water..

Would like to download some since this comp is much better but there there many people waiting to use the net so I guess that's it for now.. Anyway this is not a place to wax lyrical about, beause it's not enough to convey the atmostphere here.. even photos can't do it justice.. I guess only the paintings by the masters who have lived and passed through here over the ages can do that...