Hangzhou, first impressions
Aah, the beauty of payback. This is what I get for complaining so bitterly about hostel people...a crappy hotel at the train station. :)
The train from Nanjing was really nice - basically a jumbo KTX. It cruised along at around 200km/h the whole 4 hours, stopping only 4 times (once in Shanghai, making me nostalgic for my last trip to China, which was in that city). It was super clean and comfy, even in hardseat (with 5 seats across in the row), and there was even toilet paper in the bathroom. Let me emphasize the novelty of that...TOILET PAPER!!
Hangzhou does indeed look very, very, very nice, as everyone has been telling me it would. This is Timothy's favorite city. I think I'm going to like it here. Eventually. Not counting on that being tonight, however!
After making up my mind on the train to stay by the apparently stunning 'West Lake' in a twin hostel to the one I was in last night, after arriving I decided to first walk around nearby to see if I could find something closer. Ha! There are loads of hotels right around the train station, most of them glowing glass and steel towers with more uniformed staff waiting to open the doors for you than lived in the entire last village I stayed in. I went in one...best price, around $100...tempting, but a little out of my budget. So I crossed the street and followed the locals carrying luggage.
My hotel is a non-descript place that I would have totally missed if not for the steady stream of people going in despite it's labyrinthine proportions inside. It backs onto a brick yard, next to a Sinopec gas station, and has more hallways than there are bricks out back. In its favour, my room is very clean (except for the black mold in the bathroom and the sticky floor). Also, the staff is nice. There are no other foreigners staying there. And it is approximately a 1 minute walk to the arrivals area of the train station where I am meeting Timothy tomorrow morning at 6:35. Also, the entire street around it is lined with restaurants that smell good and have pictures on the walls, increasing the chances that I will not starve tonight.
Against, there are no other foreigners, so also no English. Or hot water. Or free internet. Checking me in was like a comedy show, since I couldn't read the mandatory registration form and none of them could read the English in my passport. And it cost roughly 3 times what I paid last night (though this time I have a private room, I think I'd trade the privacy for hot water...).
Despite all that, I think it was smart to stay near the station tonight. By the time I eat something and wander the neighbourhood a bit it'll be long since dark anyway. If I were at the hostel I'd probably just sit with my book until bedtime, so might as well do that here. I won't have to get up quite so early in the morning, and won't be worried about whether or not to take my bag, what to do if I miss him etc. And I think he already has plans for where to stay for the rest of our time here, so no point in worrying for 12 hours.
Hangzhou is SET UP for tourism...there are even little tourist info booths with English speaking staff. They were no help in getting a hotel nearby, but they were very nice in general. Oh! And there's one of those pre-wrapped tea joints downstairs, the kind where the tea has fun chewables in the bottom. I LOVE those! I'm looking forward to seeing the lake tomorrow, with or without Timothy (who has a big interview here day after tomorrow, which is the entire reason we are here...will he be in last-minute study mode or take a break before the big day mode?). And more of this city. The ride in was spectacular...water everywhere, little canals and old bridges, and a fancy downtown skyline in the distance. Nice. Seems there's a reason for that old Chinese saying 'There is heaven, and on earth there is Hangzhou' (or something like that).
The train from Nanjing was really nice - basically a jumbo KTX. It cruised along at around 200km/h the whole 4 hours, stopping only 4 times (once in Shanghai, making me nostalgic for my last trip to China, which was in that city). It was super clean and comfy, even in hardseat (with 5 seats across in the row), and there was even toilet paper in the bathroom. Let me emphasize the novelty of that...TOILET PAPER!!
Hangzhou does indeed look very, very, very nice, as everyone has been telling me it would. This is Timothy's favorite city. I think I'm going to like it here. Eventually. Not counting on that being tonight, however!
After making up my mind on the train to stay by the apparently stunning 'West Lake' in a twin hostel to the one I was in last night, after arriving I decided to first walk around nearby to see if I could find something closer. Ha! There are loads of hotels right around the train station, most of them glowing glass and steel towers with more uniformed staff waiting to open the doors for you than lived in the entire last village I stayed in. I went in one...best price, around $100...tempting, but a little out of my budget. So I crossed the street and followed the locals carrying luggage.
My hotel is a non-descript place that I would have totally missed if not for the steady stream of people going in despite it's labyrinthine proportions inside. It backs onto a brick yard, next to a Sinopec gas station, and has more hallways than there are bricks out back. In its favour, my room is very clean (except for the black mold in the bathroom and the sticky floor). Also, the staff is nice. There are no other foreigners staying there. And it is approximately a 1 minute walk to the arrivals area of the train station where I am meeting Timothy tomorrow morning at 6:35. Also, the entire street around it is lined with restaurants that smell good and have pictures on the walls, increasing the chances that I will not starve tonight.
Against, there are no other foreigners, so also no English. Or hot water. Or free internet. Checking me in was like a comedy show, since I couldn't read the mandatory registration form and none of them could read the English in my passport. And it cost roughly 3 times what I paid last night (though this time I have a private room, I think I'd trade the privacy for hot water...).
Despite all that, I think it was smart to stay near the station tonight. By the time I eat something and wander the neighbourhood a bit it'll be long since dark anyway. If I were at the hostel I'd probably just sit with my book until bedtime, so might as well do that here. I won't have to get up quite so early in the morning, and won't be worried about whether or not to take my bag, what to do if I miss him etc. And I think he already has plans for where to stay for the rest of our time here, so no point in worrying for 12 hours.
Hangzhou is SET UP for tourism...there are even little tourist info booths with English speaking staff. They were no help in getting a hotel nearby, but they were very nice in general. Oh! And there's one of those pre-wrapped tea joints downstairs, the kind where the tea has fun chewables in the bottom. I LOVE those! I'm looking forward to seeing the lake tomorrow, with or without Timothy (who has a big interview here day after tomorrow, which is the entire reason we are here...will he be in last-minute study mode or take a break before the big day mode?). And more of this city. The ride in was spectacular...water everywhere, little canals and old bridges, and a fancy downtown skyline in the distance. Nice. Seems there's a reason for that old Chinese saying 'There is heaven, and on earth there is Hangzhou' (or something like that).
posted by Roberta | 7:04 PM
<< Home