By Sofia Gronvall
 
Observing the lake from the shoreline showed nothing out of the ordinary. Fog covered most of the water surface and I was just about able to distinguish that generous amount of islands which has awarded its title.

Who could have thought that the sightseeing was not supposed to be done from the waterside, but from above water surface? As our boat drove off the whole scenery changed dramatically in a glimpse of a second and a new world opened up.

The Thousand Islands' Lake (Qiandao Lake), located west of Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, is one of the first-class national scenic spots and is the largest national forest park at present. The lake covers five hundred and seventy square kilometers including over one thousand islands of different sizes and shapes. Besides the surrounding green hills and large amount of animal life, it is also famous for its water. Whilst the water level measures up to more than one hundred feet, it is so clean that it can be drunk directly.

These days the lake has developed over twenty travel sites divided in six sections of different features, including Plat Blossom Mountain, Stone Forest, Dragon Hill (Long Shan) and Xian Hill (Xian Shan).

Soon the amount of tourists these waters generated stood clear to me as the battle between us and the rest of the crowds pushing their way through the mass began. However, the amount of foreigners could be counted on one hand only, as the lake first and foremost seemed to attract the native clientele.

The set of islands we chose to encounter was divided into different themes and connected to each other trough bridges in traditional Chinese style which itself contributed to a certain charm. Firstly the Lock Island showed us all the size of the real deal as a giant lock was placed in the centre of the island, an indication to all outsiders what to expect. At Fish Island the gold fish seemed to starve no matter how much food the visitors threw at them in similarity to the birds at the Bird Island, where we visited the inside of the cages in "the birds' paradise". During this part of the trip I experienced life dealing with tourism at a popular spot amongst China natives. Living in the country with most inhabitants in the world does have its advantages, but this is definitely not one of them.

No matter how many super sized locks ever to be risen they could never compete with of nature itself. After leaving the islands, in relief of once again being able to move, we merely enjoyed the boat ride back to our starting point. As the rain intensified the panorama turned more mysterious. In horror and excitement I saw in front of me how an enormous sea monster broke the water surface as well as our boat into a thousand pieces. Luckily the beast was purely imaginative and we all got back safe and sound with a satisfied smile covering our faces.