May 25, 2013 Hangzhou and Shanghai by Bullet Train

May 25, 2013

Hangzhou and Shanghai by Bullet Train

As we got in late the previous night our guide, Daniel gave us a break and only picked us up at 9.30 AM. Our driver took all of us to Leifeng Pagoda that was built 13 years ago over the old pagoda that was made of brick and wood that had collapsed because of age. The new pagoda was built with steel and bronze that certainly will be here for the next 1000 years. The new pagoda was built completely over the ruins of the old pagoda that was over 1000 years old and the ruins are seen on the lower level of the new pagoda. The new pagoda has an escalator that takes people up to the top of the hill on which the old and new pagoda were built. Then a glass elevator took us up to higher level in the pagoda. We climbed a short staircase to the top floor where we were rewarded with a panoramic view of West Lake, a Buddhist temple on the side of the mountain, the city of Hangzhou, and the mountains around the city. Next we took a walk through the beautiful park around West Lake, and then a boat trip on West Lake that had hundreds of boats on it with a lot of people enjoying Saturday.

We drove then to Longjing Tea Plantation in the mountains where the green tea is grown. We had a delicious lunch and after the lunch we were taken to see how the green tea is grown and shown how it is picked, dried and processed. We then listened to a talk on how to prepared green tea and use it in our daily lives to promote a healthy life style. Yes we bought a large package of green tea that had been picked in spring when the young leaves are coming out of the plants. Women only pick these young leaves as their hands are much softer than a man's rougher hands. We returned to Hangzhou and visited the Lingyin Temple.

We came back to the city and stopped at a silk store where Dorothy went shopping. After that we drove to the Hangzhou Railway Station and had another delicious lunch on 17^th floor restaurant above the station. Here we relaxed until we had to go to catch our 7 PM high speed train to Shanghai. It only took an hour for the train to get to Shanghai where our new guide, Harry met us and took us to our hotel. What an exciting day we had and when we went to bed we slept very well.

Dorothy and Con in front of the stairway and escalator leading to the Leifeng Pagoda on the hill. 

The Leifeng Pagoda entrance on the hill.

The ruins of the 1000 year old pagoda over which  the new Leifeng Pagoda was built without the ruins being disturbed.

View of one end of West Lake from the top floor of the Leifeng Pagoda.

View of the center part of West Lake.

Island in the middle of West Lake that has a lake inside of the  island.

One of the many tour boats on the lake.

The causeway built across West Lake.

The marina on West Lake that has a decorative restaurant moored at the marina.

The marina and the highest mountain in the background. The picture was  hazy because of the smog.

The Buddhist  Temple and monastary.

View of the entrance and escalator that helped people to get to the Leifeng Pagoda.

Dorothy and Con on the top floor of Leifeng Pagoda with West Lake behind them

Fish at Flower Pond Park being fed.

Boats on West Lake with the Leifeng Pagoda on the hill.

Cruise boat on West Lake.

Boats moored at the island in the center of West Lake.

The Broken Bridge at the end of the causeway on West Lake. The bridge is actually not broken but this is its  official name.

A large protected area of Lotus flowers

Dorothy and Con on the cruise boat on West Lake.

The restaurant where we had a delicious fish lunch at the Longjing Tea Plantation.

Dorothy and Con looking at the tea bushes at the Longjing Tea Plantation.

The tea drying tubs at the Longjing Tea Plantation.

A large hill of tea bushes at the Longjing Tea Plantation

Buddhas carved out of the rock at the Lingyin Temple

Small Buddhas carved in the rock at Lingyin Temple.

People lighting their incense sticks at the urn in front of the Lingyin Temple.

The Lingyin Temple