The next morning we slept in until around 10 because we were all so exhausted from the day. After we woke up we got ready for the day and then headed out in search of food. We stopped by the French bakery to get something for breakfast and got some much needed sustenance. After we were done with breakfast we walked around the lake a little bit and then decided to head over to Grandma’s to see if we could get in. We got our number and then wandered around the lake for a little while. We went back to check in but there were still about 80 tables ahead of us, so we decided to wander a little further and came back in another hour or so. By the time we came back our number had passed but they were kind enough to let us in. We spent a good half hour or so just looking over the menu and trying to decide what sounded good. So much sounded good so we ended up getting a ton of food to split between the five of us. It was amazing how it worked out, we got so much food to share and with the prices it ended up being only about $5 U.S. a person. Which is pretty cheap given how much we all got but kind of expensive for China.
After we ordered our food we talked and waited. They started to bring us our food rather quickly and once we got it we split it amongst ourselves and dug in. The food was amazing, especially the sweet pork which is something like the orange chicken we have in the states. The potatoes we got were amazing, and we also got something called organic cauliflower which doesn’t sound super appetizing but it was amazing. The food kept coming in sort of a course like manner so we continued on eating. After we were finished we paid for our food and continued on our adventure. We did what we had been doing for much of our time in Hangzhou and continued wandering around the lake and enjoying the beauty. We thought of going on a boat ride but it just didn’t happen.
While we were there they were having a culture festival so we saw some African dancing and just enjoyed ourselves. We headed over to the silk market to see what we could see but we weren’t there long and most of the stores were starting to close down. So we hopped on a bus and left after a little while and decided we would come back the next day to look a little more and make some purchases. After we got back we wandered around the lake for awhile and then some of our group decided they wanted Haagen Daaz ice cream, so we stopped there so they could get their ice cream then continued on our way. We stopped a couple of times to look at stores and just enjoy the overall beauty. We found some place to sit down for a minute and just stare out at the lake and enjoy it. After a short stop we continued our walk around the lake. After we had been walking for awhile we decided it was starting to get a little late so we turned back and headed back toward our hostel. Once we got back we got ready for bed and called it a night.
The next morning we got up and packed up as this was going to be our last day in Hangzhou. We decided that for our last morning we would go to the café in our hostel and have breakfast there. I was able to have a Spanish omelet, fruit, and some bread with butter. The butter was something I was very excited about since it’s expensive and hard to come by here in China. After we finished our breakfast we went back to our room and finished packing up. We looked around for a bit longer and tried to go to grandma’s one last time before we left but we missed our table and didn’t want to wait the extra time so we decided against it. Once we were done there we hopped on a bus to the silk market and spent a couple of hours looking around and buying those things that we wanted. As we were about to leave the silk market we met a guy who was in China for a couple of months to teach English from Hamburg, Germany. We talked to him for awhile and learned of the fabric market in Shanghai where we could have clothing tailored. After we had talked for awhile we had to go but we got his e-mail address and got a picture with him before we headed off. Once we got back to the area around the lake we decided we wanted to get lunch at the French bakery and then go on a boat ride before we headed to the train station to head back to Changzhou. We went to the French bakery and were getting some food when just outside one of the other groups from our school passed us by. So we had them stop and talk to us for a minute and Lorilei who was a part of the other group attacked me. We sent them off to check into their hostel while we finished purchasing our lunch. Once we were done purchasing our food we headed to their hostel which was the hostel we had just checked out of. They finished checking in and then we went back to their room. We decided against a boat ride and instead ate our lunch while we talked to them of the adventures each of our groups had on the ten day. We talked for an hour or so then headed out.
Once we left the hostel we made one last stop at the French bakery before we headed out so that we could get some treats for our train ride back. After that we headed towards Grandma’s and Burger King. We stopped by Burger King for one last Ice cream cone and then hailed a couple of taxis to take us to the train station. We had to split up as usual to get to the train station because there are five of us. We eventually got taxis and headed over to the train station. Once we got there we fought our way in and eventually found the other half of our group. We sat down for awhile to wait for our train. After waiting for awhile we lined up and headed over to our platform to catch our train. We got on our train and headed home. After awhile on the train we discovered that our friends from the train ride to Hangzhou Nemo and his girlfriend were on the same train and in the same car as us. After awhile 3 of us ended up sitting in the seating around a table with them and they made sure that we were able to stay with them the whole time and that the others who’s seats we were in were willing to trade for our seats. We talked for awhile and we played a card game on and off where you flip over cards and try to make 21 any way you can with the cards using addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division. When you can do this you slap the cards and show everyone how you can make 21 and if it’s correct you get the cards. Whoever has the most cards at the end of the game wins. We took a break for a little while after playing and got pictures with them as when we had arrived in Hangzhou they got pictures with us but we never got pictures with them. After our break we continued playing various card games but the favorite was this unique version of 21. Eventually we arrived at our station so we hugged them and bid them farewell.
After we got off the train and to the front of the station we had to split up yet again as it was about 1:30 in the morning and a taxi was the only way to get back to the school. So we got a couple of taxis and eventually made it back to the school. We bid everyone good night and headed back to our rooms. For the last few days of our vacation we slept in, went to the night market for food at night, got in contact with our families, and watched a few movies. The movies included things such as big trouble, in little china. The greatest bad movie possibly of all time that gave me a good laugh. Also, I finally saw Sherlock Holmes which is an amazing movie as well. So ended the adventure that was my 10 day vacation and then for the past week it’s just been back to the doldrums of everyday life and teaching the kids English.
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