Along the way we stopped to click off pictures of the misty mountains that surround the lake and boast hilltop pagodas - these Chinese landmarks remind us that we're still in China, as Hangzhou is one of the most Westernised Chinese cities.Our first snack stop reminded us why buying corn cobs that had been boiled for hours is not a good idea - though the fish in the lake didn't seem to mind the chewy tasteless kernels!
Our second stop proved very fortuitous and instead of it costing us 20 kuai, we made 80 kuai plus 4 ice creams after mumbles spotted a 100 kuai note in the bushes!!With her new found riches, mumbles treated us all to a cafe lunch - which turned out much better than we thought! Thanks Wireless Coffee for our yummy spicy chips and burgers for much less than KFC across the road!!!
After a brief walk around one of the islands, we jumped on a bus that gave us a wonderful tour around the tea plantations and villages in the surrounding hillsides.
Mumbles and pops headed out to buy a suitcase to cope with their purchases and our 10 kgs worth of stuff we want them to take home for us - thanks guys! This marks the prelude to the teary goodbyes coming tomorrow, as mum and dad pack to leave ...
But for now the tears were forgotten as we were treated to a birthday/Christmas/thanks for being tour guides/goodbye dinner at a fabulous Italian Restaurant - Cafe L96. This turned out to be the best meal we've had in a very long time - amazing (and a little sad) that an expensive Italian meal can bring so much joy to us budget travellers! But given a set menu that included breads, soup, salad, pasta/steak, and unlimited mini-cakes and home-made ice cream (yes, unlimited), how can you blame us for being blissfully giddy! Adam was also delighted by the 'real' beers with percentages closing in on 5%, instead of the usual 2-3%!!
Back at the hostel we prolonged the thought of going to bed, finding any excuse to continue our conversations!
Adlibing our last day together, tastily!
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