7/14 - Xihu

7/14

Our destination for the day: Xihu!

Xihu is cool because it's a city on the lakefront with mountains all around too. It's kind of like Lake Tahoe, except that this water is much dirtier and more Chinese.

Hi biker.

Also, so many people taking wedding photos here!

My attempt at a panoramic. Am I the best photographer in the world or what? In my defense, it was really windy because a there was a typhoon that hit Taiwan and stuff.

Livin' life on the edge... LITERALLY!!!!!! I thought this was a deep picture when I took it. (Lol.)

There were a lot of Chinese things like this.

And a lot of pagodas up in the mountains.

And so0o0Oooo0o many lotuses.

This is duanqiao (Broken Bridge). It's supposed to be famous for being in Chinese dramas or something like that. 

Me and a fine slab.

I'm such a derpy dysfunctional weirdo.

Me and another rock.

Another couple.

Also, this area is supposed to be a huge silk hub of China. I wish I could've gone to buy myself some silk scarves or some nightgowns or mittens or something.

After walking to Broken Bridge, we took a boat to an island in the middle of the lake!

Tell me I'm pretty.

So much Chinese stuff.

We could see the city skyline across the lake.

Those green spheres are unripe oranges apparently!!!!!!!!!

Another pagoda.

Another badly taken panoramic.

Leifeng Pagoda! It's pretty famous in Chinese culture. I learned about a legend that apparently all Chinese people learn as children. Basically, a guy imprisoned a snake lady under this tower for 1000 years.

I'm always so entertained by people with English gibberish on their clothes. Don't really remember what was on this girl's shirt. "Selfish ...Mushier? Please ...Peel it? ......"

I think it was something provocative.

I also saw a lady walking around proudly wearing a shirt that said "FAKE" and then the Chanel sign.

After we walked around for a few hours, it was lunch time! We had a bit of a late lunch. (Anything after 12 noon for lunch is late in my book.)

It was so delicious.

And we had tea that is grown freshly because Xihu has pretty famous tea. It tasted great.

I also ate a rooster head...

Since their tea is their main commodity, there's rows and rows and rows and rows of tea everywhere you go. After lunch, we took a brief walk around the neighborhood and saw soo many tea plants that just take over the mountains.

After walking around, we headed home...

...through the FOREST.

Another couple.

Bye pagoda.

Everywhere I go in China, I see the same thing: high-rise buildings being built. Rows and rows of the same building. So crazy.

We had Sichuan cuisine when we got to near my house after 3 hours of driving. This was just the first dish that came onto the table. It was almost 9:30 (which is 3 hours after Dinner Time), so I was famished.