September 23rd, 2008 
Sheila Simkin Another free and sunny day. Perfect for exploring the lake area of Hangzhou. There are 36 lakes in China called Xi Hu but this one is the most famous and the symbol of Hangzhou. It was originally a lagoon but was dredged and, subsequently, a dike cut it off from the river.
Quite a few options for getting around West Lake:
- you can wave down the “Round The Lake Sightseeing Golf Cart”;
- Rent a bicycle (free rental for the first hour) at one of the 27 rental/drop off points on the lake; walk; and/or
- Take one of the very cheap buses (2 yuan – $.25) that are constantly circling West Lake, get off and sightsee whenever you choose to.
We started walking counter-clockwise at 9:00 am and the paths were crowded with umbrella-carrying tourists protecting themselves from the sun. Almost immediately past a new Starbucks (with free WI-FI of course) located in one of the many old villas from the ’20′s and ’30′s…
…people paddling their own boats while others opted for the big scenic boats….
There are two causeways (bridges) on West Lake: Su-Bai Causeway, the shorter and more popular, and Yang Causeway. We didn’t even attempt to cross on either of them because of the crowds but instead stayed along the perimeter admiring the ponds, and gardens….
Beishan Road ran parallel to West Lake paths in one section and we walked along it to eyeball the many old, well-preserved villas. Solitary Cloud Thatched Cottage, Spring Moisture Cottage, Jianbao Villa and Sheng Villa….View image…View image…
West Lake, carp ponds…View image…a group sing-along…View image…and food galore, from the ordinary including Pizza Huts that took reservations and KFC’s with no room to sit or stand…to —
…the definitely unusual…
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