October 23, 2011 - Fireworks!

A four hour drive back to Hangzhou.  Nice to see the scenery.

We got in around 11:30AM,  sorted out our gear and headed out to see the landscape before the big show.  As promised, it appeared that our room was the place to be!!

So we stepped out into the fray, crossing the street for the first time by ourselves....whew....the traffic rules are very different in China!  You must have eyes in the back of your head and on all sides to be truly safe.  We made it across and into a park that led to a bridge over the canal where the fireworks will be tonight.

We hoofed up and down the canal looking for a place for lunch.  We finally chose one right on the canal.  there were many people there, so we figured the food was good.  We got inside, got seated and again missed having a guide!!  The menu was all in Chinese and the waitress only spoke Chinese. So after some miming, she decided to order for us.  It was delicious!  Fresh caught fish, fried and then BBQ some veggies and a dish with fresh river shrimp and a green veggie and mushrooms.  Yummy.  We tried to order beers, but got wine that tasted like a port.  Oh well.  It was a blast.

After lunch we headed back into the park and finally found where Chinese people shop!  It's underground!  There was a giant mall under the street packed with merchandise and people.  After that exploration, we headed back to the park in time to see the military parading, security arriving and the festivities starting.  We headed back to the hotel.  they shoed everyone out of the area so they could do their thing.

We stopped down into the lobby to enjoy a beer and then Cheri decided to have massage number 2.  An interesting experience.  The massager  used nearly her whole body to work out my Yellow Mountain muscles.  At the end, I went to the lobby to put my shoes on, and literally the whole massage team was there to greet me.  How bizarre!

I returned to the room and was telling John about my experiences.  The phone rang.  It was the assistant manager.  She had the press in the lobby and they wanted to come up to our room and talk with us about the fireworks!  Wow!  Celebrities. Who knew!

So up came the press with the assistant manager.  They asked questions about us and why we were in Hangzhou and how we found out about the fireworks.  They also asked if they could come up at 8 to see the fireworks with us.  We of course said yes!

So....now we await the big moment.  25 minutes to go.....

INCREDIBLE, AMAZING, WOW!!  Hands down the most amazing fireworks show we've ever seen.  40 minutes of non stop action.  It was like a grand finale almost every minute!  As promised, the media returned to take pictures of us taking pictures!  Can't wait to see tomorrow's paper.
 
Enjoy!
Cheri & John