My father has been known to push his family to the limit when it comes to sightseeing. I suppose I should be thankful for this, because it usually meant we got to see everything, no matter what the cost, but this makes it difficult to retain any fond memories of a vacation. Take Disney World, for example. All that comes to mind is sitting on the last tram back to the entrance of the park, thinking about how much my feet hurt while cradling my new Figment doll.
That’s kind of how I felt yesterday in Hangzhou, except I didn’t have a stuffed purple dragon to console me. Because I got into Hangzhou late Friday night and had to leave early Sunday morning, I only had one full day to see the city. So I followed in my father’s footsteps and busted my butt to hit up as many attractions as possible. Unfortunately, one of those attractions was a big freakin’ lake. And I walked it. Other highlights include stone carvings, temples, and a glowing pagoda:
The prize attraction of Hangzhou, though, is the lake. Having already been to Yangzhou, whose selling point is Slender West Lake, a smaller and sexier version of Hangzhou’s West Lake, the spectacle lost some of its impact. Nevertheless, Hangzhou is a beautiful city, and as soon as my legs stop aching, I will be able to recommend it with a straight face. Now roll that beautiful lake footage:
Nice pictures! Eventually I’ll go there…but for more than one day.
Much more magic than the “magic kingdom”.
Amazing pictures!
Now roll that beautiful bean footage, I mean lake footage!