30.12.15

A glimpse of Hangzhou ...

I like Hangzhou, the folks living there are an healthy lot and I heard from the tour guide that they have the longest lifespan in China. Well, I guess this is due to their healthy lifestyle of rest and recreation. They also drank lots of the Lung Ching tea which was a local produce there. Since it's almost winter there, it was dark by 6pm , which is equivalent to almost 8pm here. I saw a lot of folks hanging around the park near West Lake at around 3pm-4pm, either enjoying the sceneries of  the lake, playing chess, singing, line dancing, performing taichi and etc. 

We walked around the streets of Hangzhou after lunch, as well as go to the other section of the West Lake, before leaving for our next destination. It was around 3pm+ then and it was very cold. I can't see the sun too.  How I wish I could stayed longer here for another day or two. It was so nice to be here, beautiful places, peaceful, cool and serene.

Another view of the West Lake

Yours truly again... very poetic ...hahaha

A cruise around West Lake

Love this beautiful Pagoda around West Lake , lots of folks took pictures here!

Many yellow leaves trees around that area

Elderly folks spending their past times playing cards and chess

Folks walking on the pathway around the lake

A view of Hangzhou city


This one is eye-catching!

Walking along the streets 

The famous and historical Liuying Road

Love the mixed of old and new buildings along the street at a peaceful and cold street.
Oh..I mentioned about the lunch. We had local cuisines over there with rice and dishes. They usually put the rice on a big bowl and then we helped ourselves with it and we can asked for more rice where they will get us another big bowl. The best dish here is none other than the DongPo meat...hahaha... The fats were smooth while the meat was nicely marinated.

The restaurant ... sort of located at the outskirt of the city

Fish slices ... they have lots and lots of bones!

Radish...I love it! 

Small marinated scrimps

Soup with lots of ingredients 

And the DongPo meat in a bamboo casing.

35 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos!

    I've never been to this part of China before. I wonder what the fish is, it looks like a fish we have locally which we call "tapah" (some parts can have lots of bones too).

    I really like the dong po meat, it's presented beautifully! :)

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    1. I understand this is due to the freshwater fishes which have more bones than salt water but smaller in size.

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  2. Hangzhou is indeed a very beautiful place, but I did not know they have the longest lifespan in China.. interesting fact that is.. so I guess you also felt more healthy when you were in Hangzhou and that was what making you wanted to stay a couple of days longer?? but you are on a packaged group tour, max is 2 days I supposed, next time go for a one week DIY trip then.. :p

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    1. That was what I heard from the Tour Guide. They are more towards a healthy lifestyle than other provinces. Aiya....DIY trip a bit ridicule as I am still not familiar with the place here. Tour is better, hassled free.

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  3. you mentioned Longjing tea, now I remember I went to a tea house to taste them, and the tea were really nice!!! but of course we just tasted and didn't buy any, hehe.. also, I guess the scenery around the West Lake is also one good factor for longevity.. everyone sees the beautiful and tranquil sceneries and instantly the mood gets better and hence also can live longer huh?? :)

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    1. Yup, I also didn't buy as it cost us a fortune! Just test and tasted only...hahaha and it's really nice.

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  4. haha, you were just standing by the rock with the poem, but you can't even read and understand the poem!! I don't remember seeing this rock, but I took photo with the other one with "Hangzhou West Lake" carved on it.. and I also remember the pavilion, the pathway and Liuying Road.. :)

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  5. wah, so many nice dishes you had there, not bad not bad!! the fish is "water cooked fish" but those are indeed oil and not water??? the radish looks good, also the shrimps and soup.. hehe, Dongpo meat, sure a must-try in Hangzhou!! I don't like fats but I ate it when u was there!!! :p

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    1. I also seldom eat the fatty part but over here, must try la...

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  6. Ahhhhhh!!!! Food!!! What's that last one? One thick piece of fat? Yum yummmm!!!!

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  7. Oh...Dong Po meat! So porkylicious.

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  8. I wanna laugh at the tour guide for telling tourists in every province the folks live the longest by drinking that tea. Later the gullible ones would be taken for a ride to the tea shops to buy their tea. Get it??

    Your photos are lovely and I could spend hours by the lake sipping tea and read all the blogs. So heavenly right??

    I always have doubts and reservations for all the food in China as their news often reported about toxic vegetables and injected animals or those dead pigs being fished out from the rivers! Wakakakaka I always brought bak kwa, maggi cup noodles and kim chi along to China to safeguard. Anyways I believe the tour guides would not bring the tourists to nonsense places. When I went for Beijing/Tianjin/Chengde tour in 2002, it costs me only RM1,588 for 6 nights by Singapore Airlines!!! Every day we were taken to eat lunch & dinner at the canteen of the Beijing's Military Hospital. I am not pulling your legs.

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    1. Yes, TM. i don't know if its a sales tactic as afterwards, we are brought to the tea plantations to listen to a presentation and tea tasting before they started selling us. I didn't buy of course, unless they are selling me coffee beans...muahahahha..

      We also brought cup noodles over, not because of the food but in case, we miss local food as well as if hungry middle of the night or needing a supper. We also brought 3-1 coffee as I understand the coffee over there are not that good. The folks drank hot tea more than coffee there.

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    2. Oh..Our meals were not bad, no a bad as yours. We ate at restaurants and it's not even SQ flight. We took Jetstar only.

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    3. Their folks drank lots of tea as they don't have the right climate to grow coffee beans! So their coffee sucks and their folks always buy our 3-in-1 coffee to fill their suitcases home.

      Happy New Year 2016 to you and family!

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    4. Oh yeah, they don't have coffee beans there, no wonder a cup of coffee was so expensive there!

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  9. I can see how serene and beautiful it is! If can live here sure will stay young and healthy :)

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  10. I love the pagoda photo too. All so lovely and serene. The food looked good too. Oh. The famous Dong Po meat. How did it taste like?

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  11. Fish slices with bones? Aiyo.. how ur kids wanna eat?

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  12. I cannot remember how it looks like already... so many years already... hahahaa... good to come by to see back the scenery.. maybe now different itinerary already from last time..

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  13. I'm back! I love the Dong Po meat the most, yum yum. Very scenic place and photos, I like the cooling weather too, happy 2016 to you!

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