Hangzhou is a beautiful city. Although I did not know its population, it felt smaller and calmer than the other places I had visited. People moved slowly, traffic seemed lighter, and the pace was less intense. My hostel was directly beside West Lake, a landscape celebrated by Chinese poets and writers for centuries. I left the warmth of the hostel and began walking along the shore. Parts of the area had clearly been reconstructed, but the lake remained beautiful. People strolled along the paths while I photographed almost everything. In the distance, an old Buddhist temple marked my goal for the day. I followed the lake through the brisk air, passing small clusters of buildings and attractive views along the entire route. At one point, I crossed a long bridge associated with a tragic legend about two lovers, although I was not entirely clear on the details.

Eventually, I reached the enormous temple. I then returned to the road and began walking back. The outbound journey had taken nearly two hours, so after about half an hour I boarded a bus. I continued past the hostel into central Hangzhou, mainly because my companion wanted to visit more night markets. The highlight was a well-known sweet shop, where I filled several bags with delicate, flaky sweets for about US$1. With gifts for friends in Taipei secured, I left the market and returned to the hostel.

Globalisation has carried familiar American brands to cities around the world, and China is no exception. For the first time on the trip, I saw a Dairy Queen, although it did not look much like a conventional fast-food restaurant. I considered buying ice cream, but I was already freezing and decided to hurry back to the hostel instead.

As the sun began to set, I collected dinner and settled in for the evening. We watched a DVD and played more rummy. Afterwards, I packed, read for a while, and went to sleep. Goodbye, Hangzhou; hello, Guangzhou.