Hangzhou: First Snow at West Lake

We took a day trip down to Hangzhou from Shanghai one day; I really wanted to see West Lake, a place that Zen (who’s from Hangzhou) had fervently recommended when we hung outÂ in LA. It was a bit of a bummer that the only day that we could spare turned out to be a rainy one in both Shanghai and Hangzhou, but we were ever hopeful thatÂ that the rainÂ would be short-lived. Thanks to Ade and Puey for making it possible by agreeing to spend a day there with me, and for the logistics of getting there! We didn’t realise it at the time, but we were in for an incredible experience:

At the Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station (ä¸Šæµ·è™¹æ¡¥ç«™).

Me, Puey, and Ade on the train to Hangzhou.
^{Photo by Ade.}

We went in search for food upon reachingÂ Hangzhou, and were lucky enough to chance upon The Grandma’s (å¤–å©†å®¶)Â right across West Lake! Unlike our experienceÂ in Shanghai, this was the one that Zen had recommended. There weren’t many customers, the drizzle probably acting as a deterrent, so we were immediately ushered to an empty table. Lucky!

It was amusing to see a conversation scrawled on the awesome green walls of the elevator going up to the restaurant:Â “äººçœŸå¤š (So many people)” *Â “å¾ˆå¤šå—? (Are there really a lot?)” *Â “å—¯å¤š! (Uh huh!)”

Look at those slightly angled cups! It was pretty cool.
^{Photo from Ade.}

Clockwise from the left: Green Tea Cake (ç»¿èŒ¶é¥¼), Mutton Ribs (æƒ³åƒç¾ŠæŽ’), and Pea Paste Soup (é’è±†æ³¥). I could not get enough of the Green Tea Cake! Also, the Pea Paste Soup looked slightly icky but was so delicious. Om noms.
^{Photo by Ade.}

Black Rice Cake (å¤–å©†é»‘ç±³ç³•).
^{Photo by Ade.}

Mango Dessert Bowl (æ‹›ç‰ŒèŠ’æžœèŠ‹åœ†).

Ade taking a picture of me showing a spicy dish, SautÃ©ed Frog with Chili Sauce (é¦‹å˜´è›™).
^{Photo by Puey.}

Behold my disdain of foods which are too spicy for anyone’s well-being. Needless to say, this dish had very little to do with my stomach (mainly because I couldn’t handle it).
^{Photo by Ade.}

Stomachs full, we walked across the street to the famed West Lake (è¥¿æ¹–), I would love to visit it again one day, when weather allows me to explore more and at my leisure without worrying about broken equipment. Although I wouldÂ have to deal with a lot more tourists during good weather… I guess the rain was a mixed blessing.

^{Photo by Ade.}

The rain got heavier when we reached West Lake, butÂ the kind ladies at the information kiosk offered us disposableÂ ponchos for free! Since I had come prepared with my Calvin Klein cape after checking the weather forecast, I decided to test how waterproof it was. I’d bought itÂ in LA, but never had the chance to use it, so I was pretty excited. Unfortunately, I forgot to account for warmth, andÂ no raincoatÂ could prevent me from freezingÂ atÂ 5ÂºC.
^{Photo from Ade.}

The rain got so heavy that we sought shelter at a Starbucks in West Lake. It was so warm and cosy and the staff even went round giving customers free cake samples! â™¥Â My only gripe was that free wifi wasÂ onlyÂ available to customers who hadÂ an account with a telecomm company in China.

Puey and I chilling.
^{Photo by Ade.}

Puey and Ade being cosy.

And then the rain turned into snow. It was so glorious:

Having lived most of my life in perpetual summer, snow is one of those rare things I, like most of my fellow Singaporeans, get to see once in a long while. Just being in aÂ snowy place already makes me giddy, but seeing åˆé›ª (first snow)?Â I could hardly believe it.