We all got up early today to take the Bullet Train from Shanghai to Hangzhou. We had a very leisurely breakfast and the next thing you know we ended up sprinting to the Railway station to catch our 9am train. We sprinted 500m and made the train with 5 minutes to spare. Bryce chuckled and said, "I just wanted to ensure everyone got their morning exercise, that's why I was late". Needless to say, Rafael was not impressed and I think he would have left him at the hotel if he didn't show up at the lobby.

Train G7363 travelled up to 373 km/h and we made it to Hangzhou in 90 minutes. Wow, the infrastructure is amazing! The transportation planners definitely know what they are doing.

The main attraction to Hangzhou is the West Lake. Surrounding the lake are temples, islets, gardens, causeways and arched bridges. Boat trip to Island of Small Seas (1607 operational) it is surrounded by lotus pond - absolutely beautiful!

May was here with my late parents in 1982 and she keeps on remarking how much the landscape has changed, especially how clean things are from the litter surrounding the lake and facilities. Yes, I squatted for the first time today, ;)!

It's stinking hot! I completely understand why everyone carries an umbrella, the sun and with the lack of a breeze makes your clothes stick to you. We walked slot today and you need to drink a lot of water. I am going to track the distance with my Nano.

I am exhausted from today's hike around the lake. Who needs bootcamp, just come to China and sweat everything off!

We are off to Suzhou - "Venice of the East"