Hangzhou

We were up very early in the morning to get our flight to Hangzhou.  Upon landing, we were greeted by this stunning display of flowers, both real and glass, very similar to the ceiling in the Bellagio in Vegas.

The airport was really one of most nicely decorated airports I have been to.  There were plants and flowers, especially orchids, everywhere.

We checked into our hotel, and after a little break, mainly to allow the temperature to drop, we went out to explore West Lake, which is a five minute walk from our hotel.

Have I mentioned it's hot?  Today's temperature was 41 degrees, and yes, there is humidity.  There was a a breeze off the lake, but instead of having a cooling effect, it just felt like hot air being blasted at you.

Eryl said she felt like her eyeballs were going to pop from the heat.  I don't think I've ever felt that way before, but once she mentioned it, I became keenly aware of how my eyeballs were feeling.

The lake is much bigger than I expected, and there are beautiful vistas everywhere.

And look!  There's blue sky!!  We haven't seen that for over a week.

Everywhere you look, there is a pagoda or fascinating boat of some sort.

After making it around only about an eighth of the lake, we s-l-o-w-l-y made our way back.  We were told that in this weather, the Chinese never walk quickly because you can overheat.  And that's a fact, speaking from experience.

Dinner was had in the hotel and then it was straight to bed.  Eryl seems to have picked up a cold, most likely going from the extreme heat to the extreme cold (very efficient air conditioners) and just needed to sleep.  I was just wiped from our busy itinerary so far.  More to come!