Hangzhou, China

I returned home last night from my 10th trip to Hangzhou China so, a little bleary eyed this morning, I realised I have never written about it, to be honest not even my Nick has ever seen a photo! So I'm just going to give a brief summery of my trip. 

Westlake, Hangzhou

As it was (and always is) a work trip there aren't too many photos outside the office/ factory and no exciting stories of nights out and recommended restaurants/ bars!!

After flying into Shanghai our driver picked us up to drive the hour and half to Hangzhou. We checked into the Sofitel which after moving around once or twice managed to find a room that didn't make me feel like I was stuck in the middle of the busy road outside of the hotel. (Driving in China consists of one hand on a mobile phone and the other on the car horn!) The rooms are comfortable and spacious but def without a view!!

Sofitel, Hangzhou

Room without a view!

After a quick shower and change we went out to the local trim market. Trim markets tend to be quite overwhelming (and not just due to the jet lag!) as there is shop upon shop stacked to the rafters with lace, buttons, zips, hardware, beads, sequins, belts and pretty much anything else you can imagine needed to finish a garment. 

View of trim market

I find China a interesting mix of the modern and traditional, the two working alongside each other sometimes appearing to be totally unaware of the other.  

Bikes used to transport everything from fabric to families

Outside the trim market