Respite from the City

There came two days of sunshine and nice breezes so I took full advantage by going to the Xiamen Botanical Garden on the first day and Gulangyu 鼓浪屿(Xiamen's smaller pedestrianized island) on the second day.
The Botanical Garden was enormous and beautiful. With over 6000 different species of plants, I meandered through varying trails that lead me up and down hilly terrain through an awesome cactus garden, bamboo area and many a rock to sunbathe and catch awesome views of the rest of the park. Unlike public parks, there is a small entry fee which detracts a lot of people, so this is a good place to escape the crowds. After multiple of experiences of summiting small mountains (big hills to be more accurate) in China and being met at the top by some youths blasting their shitty, atrocious Chinese pop music via cell-phone/mp3 player, it is a relief to reach the top of anything and hear birds and bamboo rustling instead.
As for Gulangyu, you cannot beat the crowds, at least not at first. A free ferry takes you there in cattle-transport fashion and then releases the gates and hundreds of domestic tourists and speckles of international ones spew out onto the island. In spite of the crowds, it is easy to lose them in the winding cobblestone alleys that weave through crumbling ruins of colonial buildings and old banyan trees. The architecture is really cool. A lot of the fun is simply to wander around, walk along the beach, see people living their quiet lives on the island, and passing the time at cozy cafes. Another priceless aspect of this place: you are not met at every turn with the blaring and obnoxious squeal of motor bikes. There are no other vehicles save for the occasional tour cart. On the island there is also a bird sanctuary, which I'll save for next time. The pricey attractions on the island can be avoided without detracting much from the experience (I think).