it's summer now

Hangzhou, Whose Paradise Is It?

Tan Zhuo, male, born in 1984, hometown Ningxiang (Hunan province), only child. In 2002, he entered the Department of Information Science and Electrical Engineering (Zhejiang University) to major in Communications Engineering. In 2006, he graduated and stayed in Hangzhou to work as an employee of ECI Telecom. He was about to get married.

At 20:50pm on May 7, 2009, he bought a ticket for the movie "City of Life and Death" (aka ). This is the sixth year that he has been in Hangzhou, so he was walking around a city that he was familiar with. Perhaps he might have heard the low roar of three modified cars approaching from afar. But why was that unusual? He was in his city and he can hear that kind of noise every evening.

Consequently, he was totally unprepared when he was rammed by a red modified Mitsubishi race car the next second. His head hit the front window glass which immediately shattered to pieces. He was catapulted into the air by the force of the collision, even spun a few times in the air, before he dropped to the ground. Blood began to ooze slowly from his mouth and nose. According to eyewitnesses, he "was launched into the air higher than a public bus." When the ambulance arrived, the crew determined that Tan Zhuo's heart had already stopped beating. On Wener Road, the speed limit was 50 kilometers per hour. That red Mitsubishi was racing at more than 70 kilometers per hour.

A Mitsubishi race car; a modified vehicle; a rich young man. These three factors would have been enough to arouse the wrath of the people. Some day, the driver Hu Bin's biggest regret may be that he hit a Zhejiang University graduate. Tan Zhuo is a typical new migrant in Hangzhou. He was born in the 1980's and grew up in a small town in inland China. He studied hard for 12 years and beat out several hundred thousand other students to gain admission into a first-class national science/technology university to major in engineering science. After graduation, he joined a local company, earned a salary and got into a romance. He was prepared to develop slowly, saving a bit of money at a time to eventually buy an apartment, get married and settle down. This kind of life is neither lofty nor lowly, neither good nor bad. But for many other students, it would be their Hangzhou dream too to get a job there and settle down. But now a speeding car driven by a rich young man has destroyed that Hangzhou dream. When the people read in the news report that "the person who caused the accident had a bad attitude," they were enraged. The BBS at Zhejiang University boiled over with rage.

Within 48 hours, this news item appeared at all the major BBS and portals across China. Young students flooded the forums repeatedly and left comments at the major blogs to call for media and Internet attention on this case. The relevant authorities in Hangzhou seemed to have noticed this and they issued the routine orders to control and guide public opinion. They felt that it was embarrassing to have this headline story and they can make the matter go away through appropriate controls. But Hangzhou is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China. In Hangzhou, there is a real-name registration system, but no such thing exists at the other Chinese BBS's. The Hangzhou media may be forced to use only the officially designated reports, but the other media in China do not have to do so. In Hangzhou, the media reporters may not be able to write in their media, but they continued to speak out in their blogs. Reporters are people too and therefore they have to earn a living. At the same time, reporters know how to speak because they are people too.

Citizens of Hangzhou went to the scene to pay tribute to Tan Zhuo. Clearly, they are unhappy with the car racing that has been going on in this city. For them, the matter is not just pity for a deceased young man. His death symbolizes a certain chronic illness that threatens the lives of everybody in this city. Tan Zhuo is dead, and he could be any citizen. Everybody can face his fate -- to walk in your own city, get hit by a young car racer, tossed into the air, spun around, dropped into the ground and then be dead. What happens after the death of Tan Zhuo is not just a matter for his family, but it is everybody's business. This time, Tan Zhuo died for all the people of Hangzhou. What happens next? The people need to understand just what kind of city they are living in. Is Hangzhou "the paradise on earth" with the all the singing and dancing in ancient lore? Or it is a city where rich young man can speed in cars and kill people?

Human flesh search began immediately on the driver. A traffic violation record from December 7, 2008 was truly astounding:

This record showed that on December 7, 2008, the driver was speeding at 210 kilometers/hour on the Shanghai-Hangzhou Expresswway (which had a speed limit of 120 kilometers/hour). According to , anyone who speeds at more than 50% higher than the speed limit should have his/her driver's license taken away. The incident on May 7, 2009 showed that this law is a joke. So everybody began to ask: If this driver had his license taken away in accordance with the law, would Tan Zhuo be still alive? Once this question got started, the next ones came naturally: Why did this driver get extra consideration from the law? Where did things go wrong? Who authorized this extralegal move? And why aren't street racing being restricted effectively?

If there is true justice and fairness in this world, then there must be an explanation to those for whom the deceased was a son, an employee or a fiancé. An explanation must be given to all those citizens who walk in the streets. Those who enable this driver to have a license to kill must stand up and give an explanation. Hangzhou has always been known as paradise. So the citizens should know whose paradise is this and whose hell is this.

Tan Zhuo, May 7, 2009

Related Link: Car racing incident Oiwan Lam, Global Voices Online; Street Racing Rich Kid Kills Pedestrian, Netizens Outraged ChinaSMACK

Laughing and joking after the incident

day 7 going home

Last day and it was a long day flying home. First bus to airport, then flight to Hong Kong, then to Shanghai, then bus home.

When we arrived at Hong Kong airport, it was about 1:30 pm. As usual so many people here there were, and we didn't realize special things there. But later we got to know the first confirmed swine flu case was just discovered from here, about half an hour before us. Fortunately we only felt a little tired after all and none of us reported high fever.

Compared to swine flu, I experienced once again 'cat flu', put by friend I. When we landed at Shanghai, I reminded again, beside the first time on the bus in the morning, that we should all queue up in the same order as on our group visa. But they walked so fast that I couldn't keep pace with us no matter how hard I tried. When I was fighting for breath across Pu dong airport's big terminal 2, they already clotted together in front of immigration counter. The officer then scolded me for the mess and even in front of him my group hesitated to follow the order. I felt so embarrassed all the way, especially when the officer finally gave me the receipt of the group visa smiling sympathetically.

Around 9:30 I got home. Thank god, a long day was over. I didn't get swine flu and immunized, the cat flu was away from me too, finally.

day 6, Taipei

Our first stop was the Museum, with over 700,000 pieces of most valuable and exquisite artifacts from China's palace's collection brought over by Chiang, as well as enormous amount of gold and other jewelry in 1949 when he had to flee the mainland and settle on Taiwan island.

The architecture, compared to the palace complex is honestly not impressive at all. When it was laid out, the designer shouldn't have planned for such large number of visitors from other side of the straits. Most local guides would lead groups directly through crowds to three must-sees: a jade cabbage, a meat-like stone and a bronze tripod before some little time for shopping at a gift shop or taking some photograph outside.

I didn't join my group this time but instead, I avoided by staying on the first floor with lesser popular galleries. I like the ancient painting and calligraphy as well as the furniture, where some Japanese groups were around.( I felt a little guilty though for them, because of the noise we created but also unbearable queue time to those must-sees.)

We were privileged to have lunch inside the museum, just steps away from the main building. And we left for the Memorial to Sun Yat-sen, which is located in the center of the city. Many complained about too much time left to them there and also, about the 'commie villains' remarks of our party addressed by the exhibition.

Right out of the memorial we had great view of the 101 tower, one of the tallest in the world. And a recent accident of three mainland visitors' killing by a construction crane around the site didn't prevent us from going there. Around the tower, Xinyi commercial district has lots of the hippest shopping mall, pubs, cafes and book stores. At page one, inside the tower, I got some books for myself, 'war trash', 'wolf totem', 'the kite runner'.

We then were arranged to a bakery store ' Weige' for some cakes souvenirs before we went to a Shanghai style restaurant for a early dinner. After we returned to our hotel, I went out to take a metro and explore a little bit more about here.

day 5 Yeliu and Taipei

Today's highlight were Yeliu national park and Free square in Taipei. However the view of the eastern coastline of Taiwan along the drive was very picturesque. In the morning we had kinda singing competition between guides and group members before a movie was aired. However, it was obvious wrong selection. When the movie was on, some of my group revolted,since in this America -produced documentary about Mao, our Mao was depicted as a 'womanizer and dictator'. One sentence from it impressing me the most was, by his private doctor, Mao had strong influence from his countryside background and the only entertainment he enjoyed the most was fucking women, especially young women.

After a whole morning's drive and early lunch, we arrived at Yeliu around 1:30 pm. In bright sunshine and under blue sky, we lingered around enjoying all these fantastically weird rock sculptures created naturally by the sea and wind erosion.


At 3 pm we set off on the way to Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. We stopped at one duty-free store, where my group craved much cigarette and local wines before we arrived very cautiously at Free Square, used to be a monumental square to Chiang Kai-shek. Due to reasons of minimizing political influence, groups from the mainland are not encouraged from our side to pay visits to similar places as well as former residences of Chiang, although we see not strong points in doing so. However many groups are doing it secretly as our tour representative requested me strongly too to take this group here, since his former groups did it recently. The local guide cautioned us that we should all keep in mind that we come here not for sightseeing but instead using the free toilet facility in case when any security or tour police approached us to carry out possible check.

It was sunset time when we got there after the bus drove past his presidential palace. And DiBao ( emperor's treasure) tower, the most deluxe residence in Taipei, and it's here my icon Dee Hsiu lives. The driver carefully parked at its side gate and we walked then to its southern end of the square. The pinkish and blue sky made nice light there and we took quick snaps before we were attracted to the middle where the flag-lowering ceremony was to take place. Great timing. Besides us there were another two groups and lots of locals. We didn't feel any tense atmosphere there though, as the locals were jogging, chatting and dancing even all through the ceremony with two twin toddlers were playing and laughing right under the flag pole.

There on the norther end of the square was the monument to Chiang. Although the local guide was ready to take us out of here, one man didn't obey though and began running up the stairs into it, who was soon followed by others. The door was being closed down just when we finished looking around inside. Funnily, some really 'special souvenirs' our group left there were that three men couldn't control their call from the nature and thus peed in public and in front of the bushes and flowers. How ironical!

The dinner restaurant was located on Zhongxiao street east, where we eye witnessed the night view of the modern aspect of this city. And after here, we drove to the Shilin night market, which turned out to be dirty and very boring. We hit the road for our hotel ambassador only 15 minutes later.

day 4, Taroko gorge

Towering marble cliffs - formed millions of years ago - soar up to 3,000 feet along Taiwan’s Taroko Gorge. One of Asia’s natural wonders and the most popular scenic attraction on this island nation, the gorge - with the Liwu River rushing through it - continues for about 12 miles through deep canyons with lush vegetation, hiking trails and an extensive variety of animal and plant life. Taroko, or tailuge in the Ami dialect, means “beautiful” and the Taroko National Park, in the central East Coast area, certainly offers the visitor some spectacular vistas along with 27 of the island’s highest peaks.

A Ming Dynasty-style arch marks the entrance to Taroko Gorge. Only two miles down the road, the Eternal Spring Shrine sits high on a cliff commemorating the hundreds who lost their lives building the Central Cross-Island Highway from 1956 to 1960. A plume of water flows from under the shrine down the cliff face. Behind the shrine stone steps lead up to Guanyin Cave and Changuang Temple. The highway twists and turns for miles with various stops along the way. Home to the Atayal people, the area, now the Puluowan Recreation Area, offers a number of hiking trails for active travelers. Some of the most dramatic scenery can be found in the Swallows’ Grotto of this “marble valley.” A gigantic grotto of karst, it has towering cliffs frequented by thousands of swallows depending on the season. A little further on, visitors can stroll for about a mile through a remarkable feat of engineering, the “Tunnel of Nine Turns” Trail - a road of short tunnels and overhanging rock carved out of the marble cliffs. The stone walls of the valley stand so close, they only allow a few rays of sunlight to filter down to the floor of the gorge. Waterfalls cascade off the cliffs and trees cling to the vertical surfaces. The scene could come from a Chinese brush painting.

The guide had been repeating to our group that we shouldn't overpass him and lag behind me the tour leader. However, as soon as possible my disobedient group kinda evaporated and lost themselves in front of us among the crowds. Finally the local guide reunited with me and another lady who joked about her weight prevented her from joining those fast pacers.

We enjoyed the canyon or gorge here. And then we paid a visit to a local handicraft and jewelry store for marble and cat's eye gemstone. The group, especially ladies liked it here and after bargaining they seemed happy with their final deals. Our dinner restaurant was located near a military airport. Chiang selected its location out of security concerns, which was easy to understand as well as other power plants in Taroko gorge designed inside caves too.

We checked in a nice hotel before we were joined by another tour by the same Hangzhou tour company. Compared to them, we were more fortunate because their group were not happy with other two hotels before the local tour manager finally agreed to settle them down in our hotel. But funny thing was, I'd overheard the dialogue between my guide and his tour operator that for my group, another hotel beside this current one was booked for us. Super Vip status.

I went to see my new colleague in his room where he shared it with his guide and driver, while I had a whole room to my own. A young and energetic man, he had been Taiwan several times, and even more experienced than his local guide, for the first time guiding mainland tour groups and actually a pitch hand, because the first guide was so fired by acting crazily rude and openly criticizing the group for shopping zero in first several shops.

day 3, southern tip of Taiwan

In Kaohsiung, we stayed at a very fancy hotel, Le splendor, inside the tallest tower here and second tallest in Taiwan. Simply named 85 tower after its 85 floors, the place is surrounded by many shopping malls and stores.

We left the hotel at 8:30, although at early as 7 when I went to have breakfast, I knew many of my group already finishing and ready to roll the way. Our destination was Kending, Taidong and Hualian. I myself was very looking forward to the scenery of Taiwan's southern tip and its eastern coastline by the pacific, because we were lucky to have another great weather for this day.

Kending is the small city where the hip movie ' Hai jiao qi hao, no 7 of sea corner' was shot. At the very southern tip, called Mao bi tou, cat's nose, where I was supposed to see a strange shaped rock like the nose of a cat. I was totally lost to be honest, firstly because I don't remember well shapes of cats' noses, and secondly finding it out of groups of rocks was mission impossible. But I was more lost in its strong ocean wind, imagining the other end across this expanse of ocean is Philippe, the left being Pacific and right, Badong straits.

day 2, alishan mountain

I thought everybody would agree, after long hours' drive any place with such greenery like Alishan mountain is a definite welcome, especially when the morning sun was shining brightly while the breeze blowing so gentle and refreshing. (During my last trip, Alishan was a disaster, after the drama and in downpour. ) The local guide arranged for us a van for the whole group to pick all us up from the entrance. No matter how hard both of us repeated that the ride was only five minutes long and gentlemen offer seats to ladies, still my group turned deaf ears to us, when the van appeared, they just ambushed it and got ready to fight for their valuable seats.

Anyway, we were in the middle of the mountain. So immediately some group members already concluded that Alishan is so so, and not comparable to mountains back home. I smiled and pretended to agree, thinking our world really need eyes to find and appreciate beauty. Our guide, smartly organized a route to avoid most groups and led us to explore the green world.

One of its great wonders are huge trees, mostly cypress, red texture and giving off refreshing mint-like smell. Some of them are over 2000 years old. And when Taiwan was Japan's colony for 50 years, logging of Cypress and other hard timber was a very developed industry. The Japanese even feared their exploitative chopping would irritate the spirits of woods and even built a stupa to pacify the possible angry god. And some trees are really die hard, and on the chopped trunks new branches survived and grew, hence 'tree of three generations'.
a over-2000-year-old Cypress


stupa to spirit of forest

three generations tree
We had lunch at a nice restaurant around 12 and afterward we left the place and sipped some nice Oolong tea in the half way. People from our area, already spoiled by our fine quality green and white teas, didn't like stronger taste of Oolong.

So we hurried off in the direction of Kaosiung, the second largest city in Taiwan. On the way, the guide played some movies about Zhang Xueliang, Madame Chiang. Because large percentage of stories on these documentary were fresh and untold before to us so we enjoyed them very much .We drove through the streets of Kausiung around the sunset time and we directly went to the English embassy just off the harbor. It was weekend and there were lots of locals there too, enjoying the sunset from the hilltop.

In Taiwan, very frequently we came to bulletin and staff, criticizing the evil of the Communist Party on mainland, and eulogize the good of Falungong, regarded as a evil cult on mainland. Some men, especially showed great interest in these and fortunately they remained calm when approached by those preachers.

light house in the distance

Kaohsiung harbour

day 2

morning in the valley

Before breakfast I decided to breath some fresh air and have a short walk around our hotel as the hot spring resort hotel,overlooking a green valley enjoys pretty scenery of hills and valley. But surprisingly when I was walking out, I quickly found several men of our group, sitting on steps outside and smoking. At sight of me, they asked me if they could get on the bus yet, since they had breakfast already.

It was still 7 am, one hour before our departure time. I explained to them our plan and as well, something about the valley and suggested to them they have some stroll and breath some fresh air. They nodded but obviously not so convinced though. Further away the hotel, I met one wife, waiting worriedly for her husband's return. Mentioning he had crossed the bridge spanning the valley and been away for a long while, I calmed her and suggested she return to the hotel, since he could did the loop walk.

I didn't have any mood to walk now and after two snap shots, I went to have breakfast. Over breakfast, some of group members mentioned about others on the same table for dinner. They didn't have any basic etiquette, refusing to use service spoons and chopsticks,and even disgusting with their own pairs of chopsticks for stirring salt and spices in and then tasting if the soup and food were salty or spicy enough. ( Horrible.)

After checkout, we set off for Alishan mountain. I gave some carsickness pills to some ladies, since it's doomed to be a long and tiring drive over 3 hours. Our bus first drove down this hill and began climbing another mountain, Yushan national park, which is the seat of Yushan, or Jade mountain, the tallest mountain in Taiwan, rising about 4000 meters above sea level. In spite of long drive, the view all the way was really pleasant, with blue sky, white cloud sea and green forest of cypress trees.

a 'husband' tree by locals

day one

The local guide, for my trip 2, A-fu-ge was a middle aged man and looks professional. And he didn't give in for a later departure time though for day one. Surprisingly, the group did get up and finished breakfast much earlier than our leaving time.

To me, what a pity that I didn't have much time to stroll around on the sea beach and relax and recharge myself. It was a great day with bright blue sky. We were given some nap time on the way before the bus drove into a flower farm and also a movie set for a quick rest.

However, the group didn't express any like for the place. 'Boring and bad arrangement of tour !' as in Hangzhou there are many similar parks.

We then stopped for lunch at a new concept restaurant called ' tong hua cun' ( village of mock orange). It was now the blossom season for this white flower, and we eyewitness that many of them in great groves along the drive in this area. And the restaurant also has a tiny store for perfume, soap and etc. ( I like such a neat and clean place, however many of them didn't like the taste very much.)

Then in the afternoon we drove for long hours (2?) before we came to Taichung ( middle of Taiwan). We paid a visit to a very special temple. By special, it's not the same as any Buddhist temple I've ever seen in other places. In concrete such a gray huge complex is more like a museum, combined with different religious architectural elements.



zhong tai chan si




It was another more than one hour's drive before we got to one of so called 'must visit' spots in Taiwan. Sun moon pool,together with Alishan mountain are house hold names of Taiwan scenery to mainland Chinese visitors as their beauty are so highly praised in primary school textbooks and folk songs about our parted treasure island of Taiwan.

It's not easy road to there, since the winding mountain roads turned out to be too exciting and several of our group quickly threw out. And before the boat ride on the lake, we went to see another temple dedicated to Confucius and Guanyu.



And after than was a 40 minutes long boat ride. Luckily this time our boat was allowed to stop by the tiny island. But our group were disappointed to report there was nothing to see on there except a ugly statue of a white deer, which, according to the captain's introduction, was for a mystical deer who attracts the ancestors of Shao minority ethic group to chase after and then discover such a wonderland by the lake. By the way, Shao is the smallest ethic group out of 14 in Taiwan with a total population about 260 people.

The sky became dim after it. It was about 6 pm and we didn't have any time for its cultural performance. We drove up and around the hills for about one and half hours till we finally arrived at our hotel for the dinner and tonight.

a drama

And it's only about four hours' sleep and in such a bright sunlight, as limelight, I very naturally recalled my last trip to Taiwan, of course, since it was only two days ago, and the memory is so fresh.

I think I will never forget this group April 14-21,2009 in my entire life, with 29 people in total. 25 of them from Yongkang city's rich and successful entrepreneur families and the rest five retirees from Hangzhou city. From the very moment in the airport when the group met, gang of 25 expressed their opinion that they all women were not informed by the agent that five extras from other area joining them and if it being the case, they could easily find another five female friends with them for the trip, since other applicants are in line to travel on later dates same month.

Almost everyday my local guide, wasabi and I try our best to balance these two groups of totally different interests. One, flexible and more interested in shopping while the other strictly sticking to the travel plans and hating shopping. In the beginning, I thought the gang of five,from my city too, may be more educated and more travel experience, could be easier people, while the other 24, more naive or two smart to convince, should be more difficult.

And anyway, like the war of tug, they managed to get along as it seemed. And on the way to Alishan mountain, the war finally broke out. The local guide arranged us to try Oolong tea on the halfway up at a local tea store, she mentioned the time would be about 40 minutes. So the whole group were beginning to taste the tea while the owner introduced the good with this tea.
After the tea tasting, it was the shopping time natually. So Gang B of 24 women, most of them as I mentioned being business women, acted so sharp with prices and immediately offered to slash the price by 2/3. The owner of course wouldn't like to lose so easily, so he kept denying such a big discount. After some time of negotiating, the women team didn't get what they wanted in price of tea, so then they turned their attention to other tea accessories, like wood tea spoon, tea cup and tea flavoured plums.

It was once again another opening of such a negotiating war. When the tour guide sensed the falling of shopping desire, she jumped in and whispered with the owner and cut the prices like buy-one-and-get -one-free. So the discount was now 50% off. And some of the women were still enjoying such game, while others, including the gang of five already beginning to edge out and watching . When I tried in my weak voice to fight their high voices to decide quickly, they gave the owner the last offer. Despite of sales volume, one pack, about 250 grams, or half a pound, was finally agreed to reduce to ntd480,down from 1600, so only 30% of initial price. Then the shopping craze was erupted; and those buying more liked to have even more benefits, like one pack of tea plum for free gifts. And those who were already hesitating and watching aside, returned inside and joined the shopping.

And gang of five were first waiting on the bus, then one of them getting off to buy a pack too. While almost all shopping were done, and the women beginning to get on the bus, one woman from gang of five rushed down and began yelling ' Isn't it too ridiculous?! We spent too long time here.' Her face grew red and vein popping out. Surprising, it was the same women who thanked the guide and me for making so many phone calls to contact her friends in Taiwan days ago.

I got on the bus and began counting the number. Yes, there were two more paying in the store. But where was her husband? I asked this aunt. She didn't know. I got off the bus and searched for the lost man. The store staff said no man was in the toilet but one walking to the field. The guide and I ran there and found him. We tried to welcome him back but the man, angrily said,' I am not going, and I am staying here.'

Finally he was on the bus. But another woman from gang of 24 may have heard other gang member had better discount conditions than her and ran down to the store to ask for equality. The owner kept denying and she was still there, persistently debating about value of honesty in doing business. The guide and I followed her into the store and persuaded her to return to the bus. She turned around and began to debate with us. The local guide obviously couldn't take more of this and suddenly moved chairs away and knelt down on here knees, begging her to return to the bus.

And now finally we were all on the bus. Sitting next to the driver on the lower deck, with the guide sobbing still, I could easily hear the noise by our group. And all of sudden, an old man from gang of 5, loud over the microphone,
' dear ladies from Yongkang, you shopped one more hour than our original plan. It means we have one hour less on Alishan mountain. And we have four spots on our itinerary...' He was working to unite to press the guide was not to miss any spot.

What a lame game and obvious failure! After his words, the organizer of the group for gang of 24, bravely ignored the bumpy mountain road and made it to the front of the bus and then down to us. 'We, from Yongkang, all agree to give them one more hour. After they go sightseeing, we will wait for them one hour. Our deal.'
Actually she and her friends were few people in the group we like, beautiful, smart and brave and balancing and rich. I comforted her and thanked her in whispers.

The tour guide were still in tears. I went back to her and tried to calm her down. She was a very friendly girl, in late thirties, plump, and great sense of humor. But like other Taiwan tour guides, she's mostly been trained for taking Taiwan local tourists. And such a crowd of Chinese mainlanders, and such a tiring travel plan were new lesson to her, even though she's been 12 year as a guide.

'I am not able to take it more,' she sobbed and made a phone call after she wiped to her office. I guessed she was backing and then asking the office to send another guide for the last day of our trip. She couldn't take any more of it.

I felt so sorry for her. And also so ashamed of being so weak to control my group. But how?! I wondered. The local organizing agent offered some great dreams about travelling Taiwan but informing nothing negative for their eight days here:

They promised: direct flight between Hangzhou and Taiwan, either Taipei and Kaohsiung;
They could sneak out to Macau casinos , if it's stopover at Macau, but they didn't even explain to them to bring legal document for that and too short time of two connecting flights;
one train ride included;
fruits orchard visit;
all members from Yongkang and all females;
hotels of good facility and location.

I am sorry for them too because the final itinerary came to their hands, earliest the evening before departure and most of them on the way during the three hours' drive to the Hangzhou airport.

I am so fresh handling with mainland travelers, and to Taiwan, and during such a crazy peak time. Days before, there was already fights over hotel room arrangements, over floors and different wing buildings.

While I was still lost in my own thought, the tour guide rising and climbing to the upper deck. I heard she grabbed the microphone, and began talking.
' I really really can't stand it. I try so hard to work for you, your every one. And I even paid for your free gifts at the tea store.' She began to sob again and suddenly I heard the big bang, she was again kneeling on her knees, ' stop to make more troubles for me and bing. We thank you, thank you. Sorry, sorr.y .'

I tried to go there too to calm her, but she was already back, blocking my way out. And then a long silence up but suddenly more noises erupted in their dialects. Minutes later, the organizer came down to us. She was crying too. For her team began to criticize her. I tried my gentlest voice to calm her in her ears and hugged her.

When we got to the parking lot up on the hill, the rain was down pouring. After a brief lunch at a restaurant with greasy floor, only ten people came to join the sightseeing regardless of the rains. All rest decided to retreat to the bus and rest. And of course gang of five was to see those must see spots. They came for these, but I guessed no matter how hard they pretended they enjoyed, how possible? When we were all soaked wet from head to feet. They didn't even say anything to care for me and the guide; to them we're deserved.

When we were back to the bus, the rest women looked at us, with very complicated feelings and I heard their care and quietly and a little bit coldly I thanked them.

Taiwan coastline

great view from my room; however, over-bright sun shine reflected from the ocean makes easily over-exposition. This photo was shot behind my sunglasses, and at lowest iso 50.