It was yet another weekend of long hauls that were well worth the mafan (that's my new favorite Chinese word). A 45-minute metro ride, a wait at the ticket station, and an hour-long bullet train and I made it to Hangzhou with eight friends from Stanford, who are also interning at companies in and around Shanghai.
Despite having a hard time getting around, fighting our way through the crowds, and often getting lost, we managed to experience a lot. Some things were planned; most things were not. Highlights included...
- Stumbling upon perhaps the only good coffee shop in China (it also had perfect lighting, an aesthetically compelling corner, and a pet cat)
- Exclaiming, "that's so cute!" upon walking past every shop on the way to the hostel
- Trying to keep a straight face when listening to stories from overly nationalistic taxi drivers
- Periodically hating on the G20 Summit for the multiple inconveniences it caused us
- Meeting new friends from Mexico and Spain at the hostel
- Accepting defeat by the heat
- Crying about Dip N Dots while standing in front of the A/C vent at the hostel
- Gawking at the sunset over West Lake
- Getting sidetracked at every vendor along the pedestrian street
- Taking advantage of the abundance of random street foods
- Watching Hangzhou come alive at night
- Bumping "Ms. Jackson" and "I Love College" on ¥99 Miniso speakers on the way to the bar
- Bringing down the average age and up the average energy at Base Bar
- Ordering the same eggplant dish three times (no regrets)
- Eating half a durian cheesecake
- Usually not knowing what I just ordered
- Trekking out to a late lunch in a tea village that was oh-so-worth-it
- Being thankful but also sorry for friends who draw mosquitos away from me (RIP Connie's calves)
- Awakening deep-rooted ancestral survival instincts while trying desperately not to get trampled in the entrance line at the Hangzhou train station
Good places!
Good people!
Good eats!
Feel free to check out my Instagrams @julietchangd (personal) and @notwilburbrunch (food), comment on this post, or ask me anything via Messenger/WeChat/What'sApp/email/my contact form.
Ni howdy and good Baidu to you.
Ni howdy and good Baidu to you.