Here I go again on my own! What feels like a whirlwind tour of Hangzhou (and China in general) it's time for me to pack my bags and prepare for another lengthy journey south. I'm currently sat at Hangzhou south railway station waiting to board my overnight sleeper to Shenzhen, a journey which will take 16 hours. My plan is to then head to Hong Kong where I'll spend 2 nights before flying to Bangkok. I've certainly had better mornings. I was out in an America...

The joys of the Chinese queueing system! My stay at Hangzhou has so far been that of a relaxing, calming experience with the beautiful West Lake surroundings just a stones throw away. My patience was tested a little today when it was time to book my ticket to Shenzhen (where I will eventually move on to Hong Kong). Unfortunately the hostel didn't provide a booking system, and there was no local travel agent to provide the service either. Therefore it was down...

After successfully taking the high speed train to Hangzhou in what seemed to take no time (I've had longer tube rides in London) I touched base at the Mingtown International youth hostel. The setting is perfect. Right on the edge of Westlake overlooking a beautiful scene. I took a short walk out by the lake and watched some boats passing as I basked in the 37degree heat (even David Dickenson is struggling in this weather!!) I stumbled across a Carefur (a well ...