May 30th and 31st

Been doing lots of sleeping over the last couple of days. The last few days in Japan, we thought Heidi was stuffed up because of allergies and tired because of the antihistamine. Turns out it wasn’t allergies and I caught whatever she has. I think I slept 15 hours last night. It’s good that we are settled in the apartment and can just take it easy.

Heidi is prepping for her course which starts on Monday, fighting with the uncooperative internet, checking out the classroom and projector, finding the printer left by another prof etc.

We’re enjoying exploring the different stores and neighbourhoods around the apartment. Yesterday we went for a walk, originally to find a restaurant recommended by someone but we ended up in an intriguing neighbourhood. There were  expensive cars on the streets and obvious luxury apartments mixed in but for the most it did not feel wealthy at all. There was laundry hanging on the power lines, little restaurants out of people’s houses, a canal, people just sitting on chairs along the street chatting, people playing cards…I was too shy to take many photos but I got a couple. It was also funny, people would stare at us so we would say Ni Hao, and they would all of a sudden smile and answer back. We didn’t feel adventurous enough to try any of the restaurants that we passed and ended up at Teresa’s which is geared towards international travellers and then called it a night.

I was feeling a little better this morning but let Heidi run her errands with her grad student while I read in the apartment. For lunch, we went by bike to a place another prof knew from previous visits. Ah yes, biking through Hangzhou! If I have the patience, I will try to upload some videos that I took. We only had 4 bikes and 5 people so Heidi’s grad student hitched a ride on the back of her bike. He got quite a kick out of the idea that his Professor was doubling him!

The restaurant was great, it was a chaotic Chinese restaurant, crazy cheap and good food. Afterwards, Heidi and I managed coffee but then it was back to the apartment where I rested some more and Heidi did more work for class.