May holidays

I have to apologize that the update intervals of my blog are getting as long as Microsoft's once were. There is so much to tell and so little time as there is always something to do. Last week I did some overtime at work and on the weekend we enjoy the nice with going to the lake for a swim and lying around in the shade and having picnic. That's where I am right now actually and after fresh coconut, supermarket sushi and baguette I am trying to compile a report of the last weeks.

Beginning of May we Aude and me went for holidays, ignoring the exclamations of astonishment and disbelief why someone would go on a trip in China at the same time as nearly everyone else in the country. Beginning of May are public holidays in whole China and traditionally a time to visit family, friends or popular places. We heard horror stories about hordes of Chinese with red hats everywhere, queuing for kilometers, staying days in train stations waiting for a ticket and prices for hotels and the entrance to tourist sites that have been
tripled or more for the holidays. The tourist groups wearing red hats really exist, the hats are supposed to make it easier to keep the group together. That's no working very well though, as all groups wear nearly
identical hats in the same color :-D
As usual it was less dramatic than everyone prophesied we had a very nice time. We first went to Hangzhou, which is located beside a nice lake and is a great place for a easy hike through the forest. Especially because Chinese people are not so fond of hiking, which results in only a few people you meet on the way, which is a welcome change from the bustle of the average Chinese city. Hangzhou itself is a beautiful touristy city, which gave us back the faith that Chinese people like nice places as well. After Hangzhou and having seen several Buddhist temples, pagodas and parks we went to the city of Ningbo. Ningbo was a pleasant surprise, because it has a nice town center and friendly people. From here we went on a day trip to the national park of Xikou with mountain-like views, fresh air and the chance to hike along a river and getting a close view to several waterfalls. The next day we went for another day trip to the Buddhist island of Putuoshan,which is supposed to be "the China we've all dreamt of". Maybe it was because we were tired from the hike the day before and therefore didn't explore the whole island or it was the artificial fog, which is supposed to create a mysterious atmosphere, the artificial stones playing tranquil music everywhere you go or the crowds of Chinese people. But I cannot recollect a dream about China like this and as I probably would have woken up sweating and crying I think I would remember ;-)

The next day we went from Ningbo to Shanghai to visit a friend there and see a bit of the city.

All in all was it a nice and against all expectations relaxing holiday and as long as you don't wanna check out the major tourist sites only, traveling in May is by far not as bad as everyone says. This might be different in other parts of China though.

more pics