Well I finally found time to put up a quick post. Since I am still blocked from viewing the site, any misplacing of objects will just have to do for now. Last weekend four of us went to Hangzhou to spend a couple of days at West Lake. With springtime breaking out everywhere it was gorgeous. We had a great time walking around the lake on Friday and sitting down for a cup of coffee and just chatting.
The plum blosoms and flowers were all just beautiful and the weather was perfect! Friday we spent the day just checking out the lake and going to the templa and pagoda.
There were lots of stone carvings to see and people were buring incense at the temple. At the end of the day we took the little golf cart train ride all around the lake. Then we found a hotpot place and had a great supper. (Jim remember the one in Beijing?) A fiend of Barbara's had told her about a tea village that he insisted we must see so the next morning we caught a local bus and rode up to the village. We then walked through the tea fields,
according to him "across 18 streams and 9 gullies).
It was quite a hike but well worth it as you can see.
We caught a minivan back to town and hiked up to this old pagoda that we could see from our hotel.
Both days were packed with constantly being on the go, but it was a relaxing time (except for my back which has been giving me fits ever since I've been back). This was a much needed break from school and we enjoyed it tremendously.
On Sunday I took one of the younger teachers, Mary Claire, to church with me downtown. Even though the service was in Chinese, the Easter songs were mostly ones that I was familiar with. After church we headed to Starbucks for a cup of coffee and then to Comb Lane by the canal and tood a few pictures.
When I got back to the apartment a family came by and took my picture sitting on one of the benches in the complex.
All in all, it was a good weekend and I got some great pictures in Hangzhou and also here in Changzhou.
Sorry about the pictures that won't enlarge, I tried to re-insert them but they still wouldn't enlarge.
Well, enough for now. I have to get ready for another week.
Hangzhou was a beautiful place to just relax. I would love it if the weather would just stay like this.
There were many picturesque places such as this teahouse. We also went to the buddhist temple and walked through the grottos. There were many carvings and a lot of people were burning incense 
and as you can see several rubbed the feet of some of the statues. I thought it such a shame to put so much faith in just a stone when they could have the hope of life eternal with a Risen Lord.
