Eerie on a calm night.

I found out on Tuesday that my classes for Wednesday and Thursday were cancelled because my students had midterm exams. It's hard to believe it's already halfway through the fall term. I find it a bit harder to believe it is already November, but that's a topic for another day.

Well another teacher at a different middle school ended up with the same predicament as me. Two days off; what to do? Well we decided Tuesday afternoon that we would head down to Hangzhou. I had never been before so it seemed like a good opportunity to get out of town.

The city of Hanghzou is about 180 kilometers south of Shanghai and with an urban population of just over 6.2 million. The city is surrounded by mountains and most famously known for its West Lake. We stayed at a hostel very close to the West Lake and didn't need to wander too far from there.

At first glance, Hangzhou feels like many Chinese cities I have been to. But it has its own character and natural beauty. I will admit it was nice to be back in a place where I could look and see mountains in the distance. I do love Suzhou but it was nice to have the comfort of feeling like you were surrounded by something other than just buildings.

My fellow teacher and I meandered off in what we thought was the direction of the West Lake around dinner time, determined to either find the lake or a place to eat. Luckily we were able to find both. After dinner, we walked back to our hostel and we passed through a park by the lake. It was a bit eerie to be walking around when it was so dark. The path was often lined with small ponds which caught the reflection of every small ounce of light. The reflection of these trees caught my eye and I feel like it captured the calmness of the day combined with the eeriness of the night.