Hangzhou - once described as 'paradise on earth' has truly lived up it's reputation. The bus journey took us through beautiful tea plantations. The famous west lake area dotted with weeping willows, stone bridges, pagodas, boats and temples. Hangzhou is famous for its tea and silk.

We settled down in a backpacker hostel, cheerfully tucked away near the serene Four Eye Well, with a beautiful backdrop of mountains. Waking up to the charming melody composed by birds sets us up for a good day.

We spent all day strolling the water gardens around West Lake, absorbing the scenic lake view and its tranquility. We popped in to the free museums from time to time and learnt that the prosperity of Hangzhou was largely attributed to the famous statesman of the Song Dynasty (960 - 1270), who was also a leading artist, drawer, pharmacologist and invented the renowned 'DongPo Pork'. Well, you guessed it! We subsequently went to this hundred years old restaurant and tasted the sumptuous 'DongPo noodles'. Jon commented it was sheer indulgence and one of the tastiest pieces of meat he ever had!

We finished off the night by browsing the night market and bagged ourselves some bargains and cheap eats. It's been a nice relaxing day ^_^