Hyatt Regency Hangzhou

The Holiday Inn in Beijing had one great amenity: free internet. Other than that, it wasn't anything like our stay at the Crowne Plaza in Beijing. The beds were smaller, the pillows lumpier, and the breakfast was a poor imitation of the varied and delicious spread in Beijing. In short, it was a lot more what we are used to when we travel!<br><br>The first stop of the day was at the silk factory to see how silk ...

... Most narcotics aren't going to cut it. I had no idea when it was going to end. The entire building was empty with the exception of our room, which kept on rocking until after 2am. Guantanamo Bay detainees have caved under less pressure. Jill had a great time. <br><br>We are very grateful to our employers for the invite and their generosity but here's hoping that there will not be a TGH3.<br><br> <br><br> <br> <br><br><br><br> <br>

... examinations for FOREIGNERS can ONLY be done by certain registered clinics - don't expect it to be at any large hospital or in the same city for that matter. <br>Once you find the clinic it is alot easier finding one is the hard part - if you need one done hopefully your contact in China has already set it up for you.<br>Cost of the exam = 300 - 400RMB<br>What you must have for a smooth process = 2 or 4 passport sized photos of yourself, your ...

... crowd and more whooshes and booms... and of course, more 'oooh's and 'ahhh's. We all looked at each other. Non of us could see a thing! The trees around the terrace had blocked the view and the fireworks weren't going high enough for us to see them over the trees. From the reaction we could hear from the crowd it sounded like they had put on quite a show. All was not lost though, we managed to get a glimpse through a clearing in the branches and got to see the fireworks ...

... on our trip. From his comments and observations, he seems to be taking in more than we think.<br><br>Elise is so funny. When we check into a hotel, the first time she goes to the bathroom, she asks, &#8220;Do I put the toilet paper in the toilet or in the trash?&#8221; since she is so used to the public bathrooms where you can&#8217;t flush the toilet paper. She has been so easy-going this trip. We ...

... including the Bai and Su Causeways.<br><br>Our next stop was the Six Harmonies Pagoda, first built in 970 AD to placate the tidal bore, a massive wall of water that rushes upstream during high tide. Over 60 metres high, it served as a lighthouse up until the Ming Dynasty.<br><br>Our Guide next takes us to a freshwater pearl shop before dropping us back at the Hotel.

Departed Suzhou at 9am for a 2 and a half hour drive to Hangzhou, we said goodbye to Grace our Local Guide for the past two days but we keep our driver Mr John. On arrival we meet our new Guide Rain and we are taken to the restaurant for lunch, then onto a local market area where we visited some Chinese medicine shops and an art gallery with bronze sculptures.<br>Arrived at the Hotel at 2pm and did nothing much, went walking and later found a Subway so that was dinner.

... br><br>My favorites in Hangzhou have been the pagoda and the perfectly pink lotus flowers that grow admidst the large leaves that collect the sweat dripping from everyone's brow. China is cleaner than I expected and not as polluted as I thought we would have to get used to. The sky is over cast with clouds that at times open up to sun that makes it even hotter than it already is. Not that I am complaining The other choice is the flash floods of rain ...

... The service started out with a few songs, which was fairly normal and my friend said several were translated from English, however I didn't recognize the more contemporary tunes and the way the sung songs was completely different. It was almost as if we, the worshipers, were one big (terrible-sounding) choir, because we sang each song several times, the leader stopped everyone at certain points to remind us of the ...

... former was very interesting and informative and the latter contained all sorts of herbs (please note that the character we translate as "herb" more correctly means "medicine" or "medicinal substance") including bits from various animals (including naughty bits, all preserved in jars) in a building full of ornate woodwork, dark corners and the odd live plant. I got to see the famous West Lake as well, complete with lotuses everywhere! I was so ...