What's Up Al ? 遊記隨筆 生活點滴

If you had wanted to understand the world of tea, you could not do better than visiting Long Jing (龍井) - a hilly suburb about 2km west of Xi Hu (西湖) in Hangzhou (杭州). Long Jing tea had been consumed in China for over 1,000 years by tea lovers and the green suburb centered around Long Jing Village offered visitors a myriad of activities. Clearly marked hiking trails criss-crossing the endless fields of tea plantation offered hikers spectacular views both panoramic as well as close-up with tea leaves pickers framing a perfect picture of harmony and nature,. The well-laid out Tea Museum just up the road from the village presented to visitors a comprehensive picture of all things related to tea - history, types, flavors, ancient tea routes, tea ceremonies, consumption statistics and whats-not. And why not just stop by one of the many tea houses and try a bit of tea leaves roasting and sit back and relax with a cuppa. On our second day in Long Jing, we hiked passed the beautiful tea plantations and headed 5km further west to our destination of Yun Xi Bamboo Forests (雲棲竹徑). We were so amazed by the feeling of being surrounded by thousands and thousands of bamboos ranging from young shoots, growing adolescents to tall and thick grannies reaching over 10 meters ! We didn't want to go as the atmosphere was so special and serene and the air was so fresh that we felt a natural high as we reluctantly boarded our bus back to Hangzhou - a great day out !