As usual, morning call at 630am. Breakfast at 7am, gather to 出发at 8am... Was raining for the night, so was quite cooling, even without the aircon! Throughout our journey, it was so hot until we came to 杭州, then it started to rain, till the last day b4 we r back home.

We went 杭州西湖 for a boat ride... 有人说来到杭州，如果没来西湖，那就不算来过杭州了。。。这句话，说的一点也没错！西湖风景确实很美，很鸟语花香的感觉。。。 We took a group photo there.

Actuali Dad wanted to buy some titbits and 芝麻酥 & 花生酥, but 小董 said we r abit rushing to take the boat ride, which is at 920am, so due to time constraints, we couldn't buy. 小董 said we could get it at the other side of 西湖, cos we won't be alighting at the same place as we board the boat. In the end, he brought us walk ard 西湖 边, but we din see or pass by any of the stalls selling these kind of titbits. He bluff us!!

We toured 西湖 边, could see a 5 star hotel at the other end. 小董 said that was his workplace. Being a tour guide is jus his part time job. I asked him how much he is getting for his full time job, and he said RMB 1600. Then i told him, 那我不是应该感到庆幸我现在的薪水和他差不多，可是不用除与五倍？Somemore he is holding a China Degree in tourism! Shld i say Singaporeans shld count ourselves lucky? or Shld i say luckily things in China are cheap, so tat's why they pay can sustain their living?

Back to the 5 star hotel, he said the hotel is only for celebrities and 领导人 如香港特首董建华，中国领导人，邓小平 以前也住过这里。。。 They would request to stay there cos its near 西湖。。。The place is out of bounds if these ppl are staying inside. And that is wer he haf to be there, cant take leave out for part time jobs as that is the busiest period. If normal times, the hotel room rate for the president suite is abt RMB50k per nite!! Wah OMG, so ex! Who is goin to stay there like tat??

After touring round 西湖 ard 1030am，小董 brought us to 宝翠轩 to 'see' Jade again! This time, the 员工 knew we are Singaporeans, then he went to call his 少爷 out. The boss was a half Thai, half Singaporean. The way he talked abt the stuff he is selling, was very funny.

He kept repeating, 你们看看就好，不要买，也不要看价钱！He said he was born in Singapore then after that went to Thailand to live and then do business, then came over to China. He wears something like 大耳隆，cos the way he 'giap' his bag under his armpit and the way he walks... Haha...After that he brought us out to the showroom, he told his staff that "all these ppl are my friends, so treat them nicely and jus let them see, dun sell to them". Cos he kept emphasizing that if we see the price, we will be shocked, so jus admire the jewels there.

He sells Jade, 宝石，pearls... Very diversify. He then took out some cheap jade necklaces, saying these are very cheap ones. 你们要是喜欢，那就交个朋友，就拿去吧！这种东西，人工加材料只不过是少过RMB100. 可是标价是RMB1200, 你们看我可以赚多少！所以我说看就好不要看价钱。要是你们又看到喜欢的东西，就说是我的朋友，不然就来跟我说，我给你们最好的价。。。

This is called business strategy, cos in the end, this is the only jewel place we spend the most for whole group! He even said the jade that one of our group mates bought the quality is not so good. The Indonesian couple bought the matching couple jade necklace at 南京... it was a big piece of jade which costs RMB15k for 2. In the end, the Indonesian auntie bought another one which is better in quality, according to 少爷。Well, they are rich, what can i say more?? This Indonesian family are the ones who spent the most in our tour group.

After buying our cheap necklaces, 3 for RMB100, happily we proceeded to haf lunch at the 植物园，山外山菜馆 at ard 130pm. The lady who took our group photos at 西湖, had developed the photos for us, each photos for RMB50. quite ex, but jus for the sake of keepsake.

After lunch, we proceeded to 梅家乌西湖龙井茶研究所 at 230pm，to understand more on 龙井茶, tasting of 龙井茶 and the benefits of 龙井茶, especially 西湖龙井。The person who spoke to u, she is abit 'hao lian', so proud of her English, proud to know so much abt tea, proud to haf tea sampling with the highest authority of the 'tea association' of china & tea experts from around the world. When she was telling us her experience, her achievements, she even told us to applause for her!

She said, normally ppl would say 喝茶，可是正确的说法，应该是吃茶，cos we can chew on the tea leaves, which smells reali nice. Taste bitter to me! But drinkin the taste was reali very nice, can smell the 香味。她说西湖龙井可以降血压，降低胆固醇，可以加密糖。糖尿病者也可以长期喝，可改善。煮药材汤时可以包一带放进锅里去油。So good all the benefits! Dad bought 2 packs, cos he wanted to give some to his siblings, my uncles. Bought some AA grade of 西湖龙井茶, actuali was quite ex oso, 1 bag was 一斤 RMB450.

According to 小董, actuali we r supposed to try out how to go out field to 采茶，but was raining, so couldn't go out lor. Such a waste! Left the place at 4pm. Then took the bus ride 1hr to 富阳城。导游说很少团队回来富阳 。所以很少人有听过富阳城。

Visited the 中国古代造纸文化村，制造宣纸的地方。。。Abit boring, but they let us try how they made paper, how they 捞 the bits in water and such... Dad tried, and he was so happy, like a kid. Haha... After that, we went to 三味农庄 for a cow ride. The cow peed halfway on the trip! Then we were laughing, cos was so funny. Luckily din sit very close to it. It was very smelly, we were even sayin maybe it farted...haha...

Had dinner at 三味农庄 at 6pm，b4 tat we went in to see how they 打年糕，using a very big and heavy hammer. Dad tried a hand on it again! Haha... But was reali very heavy, even the biggest size of our group find it heavy. Reali 佩服 the skinny yet muscluar uncle could hold this thing for everyday! The 年糕 was made from steamed hot glutinous rice. We tried our self-made 年糕 with sugar, which is more like 'muar chee' than 年糕。。。haha...

After dinner, we went back to hotel at 8pm. So early! Then we collected our lugguages, we went with the Indonesian couple and another Chinese couple, to the nearby shopping center. But seems like they closed shopping very early at the nearby streets... So nothing much to see oso.

Mum bought a pair of shoes which is cheap, jus S$15. Then we walked back, as it started to drizzle again. Reached hotel at 10pm.