Day 24- Hangzhou

In Hangzhou, we are back in "tourist mode".  While it is fun seeing beautiful historical sites, going to the Longjing Tea Garden, and the Song City Show, I think most of us can't help but think about how much we would still be having in Tianjin.  In Tianjin, we were more than just mere tourists that people like taking pictures of (case in point for today, West Lake).  I love seeing the new sites, and I think it's fun when people ask to take pictures with me, but at the same time It felt like we were almost starting to fit in in Tianjin, and now we are back on the outside, the tour group from America.  There are particularly some things about the tourist aspect that are pretty annoying.  For one, I think we could all agree on how annoying the microphone/speaker system that most tour groups have.  When we are trying to talk or listen to something Joe is saying, all we can hear is the loud crackling voice of the guide that is next to us.  I think we all try to avoid standing by them now.  Another thing that I still have found hard to get used to is just how pushy people are here when we are waiting in line for something.  Yesterday, a lady behind me kept poking me in the back with her fingers, as if I could have been moving any faster in the single file line.  Something that I find pretty amusing is the aggressiveness of the bus drivers when they are on the road.  Our driver now, for Hangzhou, does exactly what he wants to do on the road, even if that means causing a huge traffic jam.  While some of these things seem annoying now, it is of course just all a part of the experience!