Tom: Hangzhou (May 12)

Hangzhou (May 12) · May 13, 11:43 AM

Last night I met two Dutch girls — Emma and Alexandra — staying in the eight-bed dorm as me. They were drawn into a conversation I had started with Liam, whom I had seen sit down with a bottle of beer after declining an invite to go out on the town (The hostel is at the end of a long alley in the middle of an upscale waterfront clubbing district). We were up late making jokes about panda bears.

This morning I slept to 7:30 and went across the street to an overhang off a large hotel where the taiji crowd had retreated from the light rain. Afterwards I joined Liam and a French woman for breakfast and a road trip north to a sight on the grand canal, which begins here in Hangzhou and continues in a historically and economically important fashion to Beijing. We found most of the old canal style houses had been knocked down, and the new canal museum was not yet open to the public. After a bit of a wander, we taxied back to the lake. Spitting rain nixed our plans for a walk to one of the islands and drove us inside for lunch with a talking parrot. Liam picked Hangzhou special dishes for us: a beef stew, green beans, and a bbq bamboo dish. After lunch Liam and I picked up beer at the large French Carrefour supermarket for an afternoon tasting session. We returned to the hostel and sat down to two very lovely … um … Belgium? German? bottles.

The two Dutch ladies returned from their cycling tour, wet from the rain, and the four of us set off on foot for a nearby restored historic street and night market. The rain drove us into a calligraphy bookshop, and then into a fully halal Xinjiang restaurant with Muslim waiters and waitresses. We sat down to a platter bread fried with pork and then a large pile of chicken-noodle curry, including the head of the chicken. We walked home in the somewhat lightened rain and finished out the evening with beer and conversation in the TV room.

Liam is reasonably fluent in Mandarin, with a background in ancient Chinese from Oxford — him and I could, did, talk for hours. The night was finally called at around 1 AM. I will pick up his “Green Dragon, Sombre Warrior” (review 1, review 2) when I get the chance.

Despite missing most main attractions today, the day was not wasted. I even made time for thirty minutes of shiko and Aunkai work this morning.

* * *

A halal restaurant with pork?
— malfridi May 16, 09:16 AM #
Heh. Perhaps I mean to say beef.
— Tom May 16, 09:34 PM #

http://tom.spacing-guild.net/2006/05/14/sozhou-may-13

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