Hi all,
I can not believe I'm the first one make a post here.
I'm wondering if anyone in here are interested in biking and badminton. I'm a local Hangzhou resident who have been US for 5 years during which I was helped by so many warmhearted people who made my life easy there. This is why I make this post here to reach out to people who visit my home city so they can enrich their local life experiences here. Especially if you are a foreigner in Hangzhou, whether you are on a tourist or business trip, or if you are a student here in the city, we can hang out for biking and badminton and occasionally for trail hiking. Of course, local Chinese are always welcomed. I speak perfect English, Mandarin, and local Hangzhou dialect.
I can organize:
Bicycle tour around the Westlake and other interest points of view. I have my own bike, you need to either get your own bike, or you can rent the public bike (it's easy), and here are several things you need to know:
1, helmet and lights are not required, but I highly recommended to have them
2, no ride on rainy/snowy day, no ride on daytime in July and August.
3, I won't company you to any place where admission/ticket fee are required. Bike riding only.
4, do not bring expensive/valuable things with you, camera is OK though.
5, if you rent the bike from public station, please return it back after the trip. You can return it to any station in your convenience.
6, if hungry, we can stop and eat together, but no expensive/lavish banquet, try local yummy treats, noodle, dim sums, and we pay separately.
7, I don't charge any fee.
Badminton game, usually with local clubs, most of them are recreational, some of them may have some serious players. We can split the charge, usually badminton court in Hangzhou charge around 50-70¥ an hour+shuttlecock fee, it is little bit expensive, so double players are encouraged in most games, unless you are super obsessive with single player game. Depends on how many people are joining with me, if <3, we can just go and join a game with friends of mine, if >3, then we can go ahead organize a our own group and book 1-2 courts just for ourselves.
Several things need to know about join a badminton game in Hangzhou:
1, most courts here don't have air-conditioning, so be prepare to play in steamy hot (summer) or freezing cold (winter) environment, bring clothes for change after the game. Some of the courts may not provide shower and changing room.
2, suggest you to wear shorts, t-shirt, sneakers, or other suitable sports outfit before you came to the game, some courts don't have changing room! In winter, you can wear sport outfit inside before you came.
3, I have racket for 3. If more than that, you need to bring/borrow your own equipment.
4, do not bring expensive/valuable things with you, most courts don't have locker room.
5, No need to bring the shuttle.
6, cash only! for covering the courts and shuttlecock fee.
7, having fun is the main goal, exchange/discuss/polish/helping techniques are welcomed, but I don't teach/train badminton.
This post is always on for permanent time. If you are interested, just shoot me an email: szy3282@gmail.com.