Green Tea on the Terrace

There I was, sitting on a wicker chair sipping green tea on the terrace when I suddenly realised that I must be insane. Who in their right mind would take a year off to explore the world and leave their mundane life behind. I justify in telling myself that the answer would be pretty much anyone who had the finances and lack of commitments to do so. It seemed like we were a million miles away from the city except for the incessant honking of car horns at the foot of the hill. The sounds of birds chirping and leaves blowing in the mild breeze helped mask the pollution and made us feel very relaxed. This morning we took the bus straight to Plum Gardens. Once a small peach garden built during the Qing dynasty, it has since been renovated, re-landscaped and expanded. It's renowned for its thousands of plum trees that blossom in Spring. What the guide book didn't tell us however is that hidden away right in the middle of the park is a Buddhist monastery. We spent some time wandering through the many courtyards lined with beautiful flowers and plants that looked like small trees (not bonsai). We watched the religious members walk around in their bright yellow gowns and listened to them chant in one of the many temples. At the very end of the grounds there was a pond with tons of turtles (or something that looked like them) paddling around. The strong smell of incense burning in the courtyards and temples lingered in the air.

Back at the terrace (that we had accidentally found in search of the huge wooden pagoda that apparently sits on top of the hill offering great views of Tai Hu) the old man (whose name I can neither pronounce or translate from his scribbled Chinese characters) arrived back after mysteriously wandering off down the winding pathway into the distance. He had returned with a handful of plums freshly picked from a tree. 3 for Ali and 3 for me. We tried to thank him as he poured more hot water into our glasses full of tea leaves from his big red flask. Big red flasks are popular here in China and seem to be the only acceptable container for hot water. They have been in several of our hotel rooms and can be spotted everywhere from shops to offices and bus stops to terraces. The tea tasted good. Much better than some others that taste like soil. Now Leo (when he said his name, the 6th part of it sounded a little like "leo", so that's what I called him) is trying to stamp on all the ants and looks like he is doing a strange tribal dance. The restless old man is off for another wander. Maybe he'll bring us some more fruit. Also sitting with us in another old man. He looks like Ray Charles wearing huge black sun glasses. I'm never quite sure what he's thinking, or looking at for that matter. He doesn't say much. I guess he's smarter than Leo - he knows that we wouldn't understand a word he says. The woman next to him looks like she's having fun cutting patterns out of tree leaves. The combination of the soothing green tea and the natural surroundings is the ultimate in relaxation. I could have sat there for hours. It was 4:00pm which give us just enough time to finish our tour of the park. Leo walked with us and helped us find the pagoda that we were looking for. He didn't climb the tower but happily watched as we raced like kids to the top.