Day 4 - Wuxi to Hangzhou

Early today after breakfast at the hotel we were driven to one of the largest fresh water pearl farms in the country.  We got a presentation and saw an oyster being opened to reveal the very many tiny pearls inside.

After the presentation we had an opportunity to buy many fine items that ranged in price from affordable promotions to Emperor's-pocket-prices. 
Attached to the building was a restaurant in which our lunch (included) was served.  However we had to go outside to enter the building and even though it was only a few steps away we had to dash through pouring rain to get there.  In the greater scheme of things we were very lucky to have had great weather for most of the trip.
After lunch we traveled in our coach to Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang province.  The traveling time was estimated at about 3 hours.

In the late evening we drove into the Dragon Well Tea Plantation in Hangzhou.  Surrounded by green hills where the Longjing tea is grown and cultivated in manicured rows, we stopped to get a lesson on how the leaves are picked.

The plantation boasted beautiful gardens with statues and water features

  There are many legends attached to Longjing tea, and it is also known for its medicinal properties.  As the presentation progressed our group was fascinated by the lure of promises of good health and weight management of these tea leaves and their extracts, and many purchased one or all the products to come back to Canada with.  The hot tea we were treated to was medicinal in its warmth, and we quietly sipped as we listened in fascination and imagined ourselves a year from now slimmed down and healthy if we made a purchase today.

By the end of our Tea Plantation tour the sky had darkened and a tired group headed off to our hotel in Hangzhou for the night - The New Century Grand Hotel Hangzhou.
The dinner for the night was not included in the tour, and my daughter and her boyfriend were craving some good old fashioned American junk food so we decided to go out of the hotel and wander the bustling streets outside to investigate dining areas.

The streets were alive with pedestrians, cars, electric bikes and other 2-wheelers.  We were now getting accustomed to the bright lights of Chinese cities flashing on buildings and illuminating sidewalks and the air around us.  The Chinese atmosphere was always filled with an energy of light and bustle, noise and life!

We found a pedestrian street , which was also a common finding and added to the vibe in the cities.  Main streets often closed off at night to allow for pedestrians who shopped, ate and stroll in hordes along their exclusive areas.  The shops were all high-end with prices way out of the average tourists' budget, but were still full of local shoppers -  mostly young ones.
We soon came across a KFC and McDonald's and settled for the latter.  Walking back with satisfaction we were ready to freshen up and fall into bed with dreams of what was yet to come.