Beyond Beauty…

Written November 22nd, 2009

I have been in China for thirteen days now and I am enjoying myself so much. So far I have stayed in Hangzhou the whole time. Ive met a lot of people who are changing cities every few days when they travel and although they are able to see more places, I would rather relax and enjoy the places I am seeing. With that being said I am now on a bit of a time crunch for the different places I want to visit and the time that I have left to see them. My visa expires on the 13th so I have exactly three weeks left to see a gigantic freakin country. So far the other cities that I want to visit are Guilin, Guangzhou, Macau (maybe), Beijing, and Shanghai. My plans have changed a lot, I add and subtract cities on almost a daily basis so I am not too sure where exactly I will go but I am hoping to see them all. Unfortunately I will not have time to venture into the West but hey maybe I will stick to that side next time I come back!

Hangzhou has been such a lovely city to visit. Today I spent the whole day wandering West Lake and I was in love. It is absolutely one of the nicest lakes I have visited. It is surrounded by city skyline on one side and the mountains on the other. There is a constant haze to the city and for those of you who edit pictures and love the option of “soften” as much as I do, that is exactly how the city looks to me all the time. It is so pretty. Today I watched the sun set from the top of the Leifeng Pagoda and I was amazed. It was the first time I saw something so beautiful that it gave me the feeling of nervousness. I was also able to visit the Lotus Gardens, the Temple of Yuefei, the viewing fish in the Flowering Harbor, Chenghuang Pavilion, and some very beautiful bridges that are quite well known around here as well. All of it was breathtaking. I am not sure how the rest of my trip will go but I am already planning on visiting Hangzhou for a few more days before heading back home; it is too beautiful to not see twice!

Tomorrow I am off to Guilin. It is supposed to be another very pretty place to visit so I am really looking forward to it. Although China is a very busy place, depending on where you are it is also a very calm and peaceful place as well. With all of the countries I have visited lately calm isn’t exactly the word choice I would use to describe them (whether that be from the place itself or how I was traveling it). I am very happy that although China wasn’t my planned final destination it is where I ended up staying for my last month on the road. When I look around my eyes are introduced to landscapes I could never even dream up if I tried. There is such a newness in the air and every time I blink I find myself opening my eyes to a world that is so far off and foreign. I really really enjoy China and I hope that amidst all the day to day frustrations that come with traveling to a place so unfamiliar I will still be able to find this much beauty during the rest of my time here.