GPC in China--Hang Zhou Tour: This weekend, our group is in Hang Zhou for a two-and-half day tour. There is an old saying in China that, "In heaven you have paradise, and on earth, Hang Zhou and Su Zhou. After our charming tour of Su Zhou last weekend, I was a little thrown when we arrived in Hang Zhou only to be greeted by the worst rush hour traffic in memory, threading through mile after mile of scaffolding and in-progress construction of various overpasses and causeways, etc. It was construction on a scale like I've never seen in America--like Spaghetti Junction to the 10th power on acid. Where was the famously charming Hang Zhou, I wondered? Turns out that Hang Zhou is two cities in one--the concrete jungle at the center and a treasure trove of gorgeous and serene lakeside parks, gardens, and tea plantations around its perimeter. It's bizarre that these two completely incongruous environments are within such close driving distance of each other. In the photo above, a group of tourists gather under a tree beside Hang Zhou's renowned West Lake. More on Hang Zhou in my next posts...