View of the West Lake from the Leifeng Pagoda 雷峰塔
My companions were amazed at how modern a centuries old pagoda can be. I explained, in true tour guide fashion, that the original pagoda had already collapsed almost a century ago and this was just a reconstruction. It is a beautiful reconstruction though, and you can climb it. I doubt that visitors will be allowed to climb a two thousand year old pagoda just like that. Speaking of climbing, there is a very modern lift lobby which takes visitors upstairs. Again, we probably paid for this so we used it anyway.
Panoramic View of the West Lake from the Leifeng Pagoda 雷峰塔
The Leifeng Pagoda, probably offers the best view of the West Lake as it is built on a hill just beside the lake. The pagoda also serves as a great background when visiting the lake itself. Anyway, the view from the top of the pagoda is exhilarating until you come to the realization that you are sharing it was dozens of other tourists. It was a bit difficult to get photos from the top since everyone wants to get a shot with the lake. We did get them eventually but not after a bit of waiting.
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