The lesser known treasure of Hangzhou

We went to China for a short vacation, before Papa started with his new job. Our first stop was Hangzhou (杭州), where our journey commenced on a fittingly wet note, as we visited the Westbrook Wetland National Reservation Park (西溪湿地).

In contrast to the man-made beauty of the more famous West Lake (西湖),the main attraction was Mother Nature, in its mostly unadulterated manifestation.

There wasn't any urban noise intruding into my thoughts, merely a soft symphony by the little creatures that called the park home.

Every so often, one of these creatures would come closer, as if to remind us who the real hosts of the party were.

But never too rudely, to break my concentration or interrupt my prayer of thanks for this wonderful experience.