This weekend we made a small trip of 180km out of Shanghai to see the West lake in Hangzhou China, with 6.5 million people not a small town, but due to the beautiful scenery of the lake and the hillside, it’s a favorite destination for many Shanghainese. For me, it was a trip down memory lane, because I had been there for a few weeks during my first stay in China, ten years ago.
While at the lakeside, we tried local food, walked around the bamboo forest and had an icecream while looking around. Later, we payed a gondolier about 8 euro’s to take us around the lake by private boat.
While on the lake, we noticed the six story Leifeng Pagoda on top of a hill, a beautiful sight. I was surprised to see it, and wondered if I missed it during my last trip to Hangzhou. It turned out that the Chinese reconstructed the pagoda eight years ago. The original one was build in 975, but collapsed in 1924. The new tower was quite modern, it contains four sightseeing elevators, and modern features including air conditioners. The view from the tower was spectacular, especially considering the sunset. On one side you can see the city, on flat ground, on the other there is a forest on the hills with a temple here and there.
The original base of the pagoda is kept in good condition as well as the treasures discovered in an underground chamber.
We ended the day with some Yakitori in a Japanese restaurant.