Biking, Kayaking and (not) Hiking
3 Days in Qiandao Hu 千岛湖 qian = thousand dao = island hu = lake About 5 hours by road travelling south west from Shanghai is Qiandao Hu (Qiandao Lake). But with rain and a national day holiday, it's more like 7+! An alternative is to go by train to Qiandaohu station, then you need a car/taxi/didi. The lake and islands appeared when a dam was created and the area was flooded. Several ancient cities were submerged, along with thousands of other small towns and villages. Biking A tarmac path surrounds the lake, 170 km in total. You can do the whole loop by stopping off at home-stays along the way. But we did about 10 km out, and then back. Check hire bikes, since a front wheel came off one poor girl's and she went right over the handlebars. Not a totally flat path, but the uphill sections were short. Kayaking It's great to kayak on the lake, even for complete beginners. Our group had some instruction, but ...