Hangzhou Day 2-July 7, 2011

I’m writing this on the train from Hongzhou to Shanghai. The ride should take about 50 minutes and the train can go as fast around 220 miles an hour. The day began with some of us visiting a Chinese market near our hotel. The market was full of fresh fruits and vegetables but it also had a lot of live animals as well. There were all sorts of fish, crabs and eels in tanks that could be purchased alive and brought home. There were even bags of live frogs that were for sale. In the back room were live chickens and ducks that could be purchased, slaughtered, de-feathered and brought home.
After breakfast we set out for the Dragon Well Green Tea plantation in the village of Meijiawu. The village was located just outside the city of Hongzhou and it was absolutely beautiful. There were tea bushes growing up the mountainside and all along the road. At the plantation we were told how the tea leaves are prepared and then we were told all about how to prepare the perfect cup of green tea. The process begins by placing a three finger pinch of green tea into an empty cup and then pouring in the hot water. The water should be boiled but then allowed to cool for a few minutes before being poured into the cup. The high quality green tea can be used for up to 4 cups of tea before being thrown out. This whole process was explained to us by a man named Dr. Tea. He encouraged us never to use tea that comes in a tea bag as that is the worst of the worst tea.
After the tea plantation we headed to the Lingyin Temple. This is a Buddhist temple that was absolutely amazing. Before the actual temple there are lots of Buddha statues carved into stone rocks and cliffs. The buddhas are all different sizes and at different heights along the cliffs. Some are very detailed and others are much simpler. During the Cultural Revolution Red Guards smashed off the heads and destroyed some of the buddhas.
We then walked through various buildings of the temple that had many different Buddha statues. Some buddhas had happy, funny faces while other faces were angry and intimidating. The buddhas were all different sizes and some were absolutely huge.
After lunch and a walk around West Lake we headed for the train station and the last leg of our trip.