Well not a good start to the day…..flight delayed due to snow so several boring hours spent at the airport. Finally arrived at about 1430 hours and met my guide – Eva and my driver, whose name I have already forgotten but it's an all girl team for this part of the trip!! The sun was shining and it felt much warmer than Xi’an despite being only 5 degrees. I can still feel my feet today unlike yesterday when I was numb from the cold.

Hangzhou is the capital city of Zhejiang province and has been famed both for its beauty and its prosperity, and it is easy to see why. Perhaps looking more beautiful today with the snow on the ground viewed from a nice warm car!! With a population of around 6.9m it doesn’t feel like a big city, there is plenty of greenery around and the lake is truly the centrepiece of the city – cant wait to go out onto the lake and view the city from there.

Hotel is very nice, warm and has staff who actually speak some English so that is making my life a little easier. Viewed the most glorious sunset before heading down to the bar for a well earned drink!! Dined in my room and then treated myself to a Chinese massage.

Well with less than 24 hours in the city what did I see…… first stop was Lingyin Temple built in 326, also known as "Souls Retreat" temple. Its one of the best-known Buddhist temples in China and viewed through a cloud of mist among the trees it immediately brings a sense of peace. No photos allowed so I will try to describe the wonderful sights. The first hall, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, is breathtaking. Each of the 4 kings (N, S, E, and W) represents different aspect of life – prosperity, health, happiness etc and Buddhists pray to the relevant king depending on what it is they seek. The ceiling is delicately painted with phoenixes and dragons. You then enter the Hall of the Great Hero which contains the gold-gilded Sakyamuni Buddha standing 24.8 metres high – largest wood carved sitting Buddha in China – surrounded by 20 saints who are said to be the protectors of justice. Then it’s on to the Pharmaceutical Master Hall where you pray for health, the Great Mercy Hall and finally the Cool Spring Pavilion which contains many Buddhist relics, literature and a superb purple jade Buddha. The temple is located in a narrow valley and on the cliff face (Peak Flying From Afar – Fei Lai Feng) there are over 350 Buddhist statues carved in grottos.

Cruise on West Lake where I had this beautiful boat all to myself. Although it was very misty I got to see the city and lots of the little bridges we have been driving over. Also from the lake you can see the Leifeng Pagoda, Su Bai causeway, XuXing Bridge and the famous Lao Wai Lou Restaurant. When we docked there was a tour group waiting to get on the boat and they all stood in amazement as I got off the boat – my guide told me they were saying I must be a famous person to have a boat all to myself….oh how little they know!!!

Quick stops at Leifeng Pagoda built in 977 to view the lake and then the Temple (tomb) of General Yue Fei built in 1221 in memory of the general who was a strong patriot of the Southern Song Dynasty.

A visit to the China Tea Museum gives you a good sense of the importance of tea culture in China as well as showing beautiful tea sets from various dynasties and again had my own private tea ceremony.

Not bad in less than a day…….Definitely a place I will have to return to as there was simply not enough time to see everything but I am left with a sense of the beauty of the city and can see why so many people recommended I visit. Next I have to catch a train to Suzhou by myself which I must say is a little daunting as I still cant read Chinese and speak VERY little…..oh well what’s the worse that can happen???