CHINA 2010 WEDNESDAY 29th SEPTEMBER

It was hard to believe we were in the confines of the airport as our room was so quiet to outside noise therefore we had a really good night’s sleep. Breakfast was very poor for an International Airport and we had much better choice in our hotel in Suzhou. Just after 9am we checked out having to ask for another room card after breakfast as we had left our card in the electric slot. (We didn’t have to do that in Suzhou as a duplicate card was left permanently in the slot.)
It had been raining again and the sky was very dark and as we made our way to the central lift area avoiding deep puddles (bad design fault) the rain started again. Check in desks didn’t open until 9.50am and already a queue was forming. (We wanted to be early just in case there had been any cancellations enabling us to sit together. A young Chinese woman, pushing a trolley with two large plastic cat boxes sitting on top of each, tried to get one of the staff on duty to deal with her but he sent her away. When the rest of the check in clerks arrived she tried once again only to be rejected. There had been no cancellations and so we kept the seats in row 78 we had booked on line as these are quite good seats and have 3 windows for us to look out of.
We went to the VIP lounge with rows of seats neatly lined down the room with a small amount of other seating around very low tables. The food on offer here looked delicious and we both wished we had waited. I set about catching up on my blog and before long it was time to prepare to board our plane. Paying a visit to the loo I took my camera as Keith had commented on their loos. A toilet with an arm full of buttons brought back memories of our first visit to Dalian where we had visited a kitchen and bathroom centre and had been amazed at these toilets that seem to do everything apart from wipe your bum – and some nearly do that! With a cold day I was very pleased to sit on a hot loo seat which I could adjust the temperature if I wanted to.
Upstairs on the plane I was sat next to a Dutch man who formed a Company 15 years ago dealing with meteorology, oceanography and ship handling and said he should be sitting next to my husband. Living an hour’s drive from Amsterdam he described the area in great detail, especially an area 30 miles wide running from the North West to the South East of Holland which is a strip of villages where everyone still wears the traditional Dutch dress. He lives very near to an area with lakes and forests where no cars are allowed, only bicycles or walkers. Our meals were excellent as usual and my choice of dessert was fabulous. A small pancake filled with confectioner’s cream and pineapple and shaped like a small dumpling, the top being gathered and held in place with a thin strip of orange peel and then dipped in dark chocolate. During our flight the attendants were very attentive and came round with snacks of sandwiches, fresh fruit or ice-cream. Our light snack before landing was another enormous meal.
We were late landing due to a delay in leaving Shanghai, which according to our pilot has become a regular occurrence these last few weeks, and strong head winds so we didn’t have long to wait in Amsterdam for our connecting flight to Humberside. It was a lovely clear night in Amsterdam but as we crossed over the North Sea our pilot informed us it was still raining in Humberside. Andrew and Angie were waiting for us which, was good as our flight had only taken 40 minutes instead of the hour. The rain stopped as we drove home and I didn’t think it was that cold form 11pm.

CHINA 2010 TUESDAY 28th SEPTEMBER

Another dull day but more humid as we found out when search down the alleyways for three gardens adjoining each other. I was interested in visiting the ‘Crane Garden’ which I hoped would contain live species of this bird but somehow we missed it and came to the ‘Zigzag Garden’ but were not allowed to visit for some reason. At one junction we came across a very large blue and white sign fastened to a pole and pointing in the direction of the shops stating ‘Maple Tree Garden and Tea House Art Gallery’ so weren’t quite sure which direction to take. I chose that we go down the narrow alleyway and half way along came to a large white wall with a double doorway which was closed. I had noticed on the corner of the high wall an artistic dull grey sign so edged my bets that this was the Garden. It was only 10am so perhaps we were expecting too much for it to be open at such an hour, but then this is China and people do get up very early. I enjoyed walking down these roads with barrows of vegetables and fruit and stalls with fish, cigarettes, bike repair shops, mah-jong halls (well 3 tables due to the size of room) and passages leading to very small housing. Some residents had made an effort by placing colourful plants in their yards. We found another ancient building where we could hear a lot of chatter presumably from the older generation as we had seen a few emerge from the entrance but again we were not allowed to have a look.
As we left our hotel this morning we noticed two very large red and gold lion dogs by the side of a green and white inflated hoop outside the Bank of Suzhou and all around the car park were helium filled balls and squares flying up towards the sky and rows of coloured banners hanging down the walls of the building. As we ate our early lunch in the hotel restaurant I couldn’t see these lions but Keith said it was because we were sat low down. When it came to leaving the lions, the hoop and the inflatables had all disappeared – now you see it, now you don’t. I think if I hadn’t taken a photo I would have thought I had imagined it.
When it came to packing I couldn’t understand why everything wouldn’t fit into the holdall – we hadn’t bought anything and I was wearing Keith’s spare belt to keep my new trousers up that are fall too big now and I only bought them 2 weeks ago! So our soap bag had to go into my shopping bag which was already heavy. At least everything is packed ready for our departure back to the UK tomorrow and we have managed to book our seats online although we cannot sit together but have aisle seats on the same row.
A member of the hotel staff waved down a taxi for us to take us to the Railway Station. Thankfully the car was allowed to drive up to the entrance so we did not have the long walk that we had on our arrival. Inside a vast hall we checked the information board but couldn’t find our train. Checking at enquiries the official told us to wait by Gates 1 and 3B. We found seats next to a young man from Shanxi Province who was going to meet his friends in Shanghai and then at 7pm they would all travel to his home town to celebrate the 7 days of the National Holiday. He was catching an earlier train to Shanghai so we said goodbye and waited until it was our turn to go down to platform 10 for the 14.21.
We were in coach 1 and had seats 20 and 21. Keith was in a window seat a row in front of me and in my seat was already a young man. Without any fuss he moved and although I too should have had a window seat I didn’t push for the other young man to change. He was very polite and said “hello” and then began talking in Chinese. As usual I apologised and we were both quiet for a time. Then he plucked up courage to speak to me in English and in no time we reached our destination. I had missed the information board stating we had reached speeds of over 300km and didn’t notice the tilting of the train, but 30 minutes to travel from Suzhou to the centre of Shanghai is very good and in very good seating with a cleaner in attendance at all times. Before we said goodbye he asked for my email stating that he was going to teach me Chinese because he couldn’t believe we have visited China so many times and I cannot speak the language. I wished him good luck in his attempt!
As we began to leave the station we had another problem - should we leave by the North or South exits. We chose the south but would not go through the gates if we couldn’t see Mr. Liu who was going to escort us to our airport hotel. Thankfully we got it right and both he and Mr. Nee were waving frantically to us and had big smiles on their faces at seeing us. Mr. Liu was anxious to know if we had enjoyed Suzhou as he had been there so we told him of some of our adventures during our long journey out to the airport. Our journey seemed to take forever due to traffic and distance but we did pass the ‘Expo Centre’ where we saw a mass of colour in one corner – tour buses! Along the streets between the European Halls it was just a mass of people and Mr. Liu said approximately 50,000 people a day were visiting the site which was due to close on 31st October. But said they have decided to extend it as so many foreigners were now coming, and goodness knows how many Chinese will visit next week during their National Holiday. Already the Chinese were queuing for up to 8 hours to enter their Pavilion.
We arrived at ‘Motel l68’ in between terminals 1 and 2 and got checked in with the help of Mr. Liu and Mr. Nee. There was nothing to pay, not even for our beers, and all we had to do was sign for everything. We went down to the small bar for a beer and a coffee and watched a number of men coming in for a massage. There was a range of facilities available including hairdressing, foot soak and a ‘timed 30 minute guest room to take a shower’.
I suggested we go down to the lower level to check out how long it will take to reach Terminal 1. As we exited the lift we found ourselves in a large hall with the ticket office for the ‘Maglev’ and directions for the underground Metro. How about a trip on the Maglev, but Keith was tired and not really bothered?
We went to eat in a lovely dining room with a large rectangle shallow goldfish pool in the centre. Mr. Liu had arranged for us to have the buffet and as I looked at the dishes available a member of staff asked me if it was okay. Fine thank you but afterwards we wished to had asked for the menu and paid the difference. By this time Keith felt refreshed and up for going on the Maglev but VIP - why not we must spend our money on something.
The tickets for a return trip cost 160 each for this class, and 80 for economy. On the platform we were escorted to the carriage and taken into the gold section behind a gold curtain. Sitting in very comfy gold leather seats we set off reaching speeds of up to 300km in no time. We had hoped to be able to get a good view of the city lights but there was too much reflection in the window. 8 minutes later we were at the end of our journey in the centre of Shanghai. Hoping to return on the same train an official asked if we would take the next one as a large team of people had gone into the VIP section and were setting up stands and producing bundles of cables out of suitcases. The young official said they were carrying out tests – how many tests can you do in 8 minutes? So we waited for the next train and sitting in seating behind the female driver Keith peered through the door window. He watched as she set the computers and when we were underway went to film a small part of our journey. It was an experience and it would have been better in daylight and before 7pm then we would have reached speeds in excess of 400km. I told him we would be back by 9pm when he was reluctant to go.
We returned to the bar and chatted to a man from Belgium who was now living in Ningbo a seaport over a bridge from Shanghai. It was 11pm when we returned to our room.

CHINA 2010 MONDAY 27th SEPTEMBER

Again it was cloudy but the weather forecast has said we will have sunny periods this afternoon with a little rain around mid day so we will go to Mudu.
We caught the bus across the road from our hotel and outside the Maternity Hospital so there was an awful lot of heavy pregnant women walking around or waiting for the buses. Our 502 runs every 15 minutes and we had just missed one and the next was running late. When it did arrive it was full but we go on all the same. The fare was 4 yuan and we had to stand all the way. A young boy next to Keith kept being sick into a large plastic bag and when the opportunity arose we moved further down the bus. No-one was getting off but people were still getting on. Our driver made good time missing out some stops and overtaking the bus we had missed. Keith had the map in his hand and was watching the route so we would know when to get off. A young man next to him was also looking at the map and when we reached Mudu he told Keith we should get off at the next stop. Keith ignored his advice and we stayed on which was a good thing as we passed the area we wanted to visit and got off at the next stop by ‘Mudu Experimental Middle School’. We only had a short distance to walk back before we reached ‘Ancient Mudu’.
Again by a canal with lots of old buildings our adventure began by walking along a long corridor with a few tacky gift and toy stalls. Arriving at a stone bridge we crossed over the canal to discover more shops selling better quality goods, but it seemed most of the small shops were full of dresses of all descriptions for visitors to dress up in and have their photo taken by the canal or the weeping willows. We had our photos taken lots of times but only one young man asked and whilst we posed with him an excited young girl came running up and whilst leaping up and down also asked to have her photo taken with me. She was thrilled with the results which I didn’t get to see but could hear her telling everyone as we walked away.
There are several sites to visit along the canal and we chose to visit two. The first was ‘The Hongy in Mountain Villa’ a place once visited many times by an Emperor from the Qing Dynasty with lots of water, pavilions, and very few tourists - certainly not Europeans. The second site was ‘Yan’s Garden’ formerly a private garden belonging to Yan Jiagen of Taiwan. Again a large area filled with pathways, corridors, buildings and ponds. I really liked this place with its 4 season areas and maze of tunnels and paths some zigzagging across the water where large goldfish rushed to be fed when we peered over the side and lemon water lilies were in flower. Some of the trees were in bloom and lots of pomegranates on the trees. (In the Villa garden there was a notice on one large tree which we assumed said ‘Do not pick the fruit’ but we could be mistaken.)
By now it was lunchtime and we had reached a part of the canal with new walls and a bridge. Behind a bamboo screen was an entrance into an area with several buildings set around a wide open space. We assumed this was an eating area but it turned out to be the Zi Lan Xiao Zhu Hotel. We sat outside under the shade of an umbrella in case it rained as the sun had yet to appear and ordered beef and fish as the menu was all in Chinese and there were no pictures. There was no beef so we would have chicken. Keith had almost finished his beer by the time we were given this information so ordered another one. We had been given a complimentary dish of sunflower seeds which kept Keith happy until our chicken arrived. I was a little concerned as it looked quite red but on tasting it we decided it was more like cured ham but it looked like a chicken. Our fish finally arrived and was delicious so it made up for the long delay. We had seen the staff appear with plates of covered food, walk out of the complex, go over the bridge and disappear down the path on the other side. When we left we took this route and still have no idea where they went with the food as the only building was passed on our left was not an eating room.
As we crossed the bridge two young girls dressed in traditional ancient silk costumes were having their photo taken and one of them chased after us asking if they could have their photo taken. We had several me with each of them, me with both of them, Keith and I with both of them, Keith with each one of them, Keith with both of them. Not to mention all the other people getting their cameras out.
We hadn’t gone far along the path when I saw more old buildings on our right. As we ventured up a rough track several young locals followed us and we all found ourselves in a large complex of wooden buildings. It wasn’t real as we discovered most of the site’s outer walls were made of wood and were being painted to look like walls. Joiners were busy at work in some of the empty shells and by the end of the year we guess this will be eating places and more shops with another small lake and bridge in the centre. We could tell by the youngsters’ reactions they hadn’t been here before.
Back along the canal we watched a large group of tourists climb into several boats for a trip along the canal. We had thought about doing it but saw the short distance they travelled and decided not to bother. We had been so lucky this morning having the places more or less to ourselves as this afternoon we lost count of how many groups entered the area whilst we had our lunch and saw only one group leave.
Time to go back to Suzhou and this time we took a 38 where the fare was only 3 yuan as the air conditioning was an open window! This bus took a different route much more scenic that the 502 taking us by the hills where we could see a Pavilion half way up and a Pagoda at the top. We passed parks and on nearly every major street corner floral designs had been created ready for the 1st of October.It was only 4pm and having given up on purchasing a silk picture we set off to buy Keith a pair of shoes we saw yesterday. They only had the one pair and it wasn’t his size. I would have liked a belt to keep up my new trousers that fit perfectly two weeks ago but now keep falling down. Again I had no luck so once again we didn’t buy anything today.

CHINA 2010 SUNDAY 26th SEPTEMBER

As forecast we awoke to rain but by the time we had finished breakfast it had stopped so off we set although it was very much cooler and we had no jackets with us. We did take our umbrellas with us today though and we sure needed them.
We began today’s voyage of discovery by walking straight up Yangyu Xiang to reach Taohuawu Da Jie where we should find a ‘Silk Museum’ across the road from ‘The North Pagoda.’ As we passed some of the fashion shops I called in one to hopefully buy a cardigan in the style of a shawl but it didn’t fit property and the assistant had great trouble getting the buttons and buttonholes to match up so gave up. I tried a sweatshirt but it was far too big so I would stay cold. We found the Pagoda as the car park was full of coaches and here we met a couple of girls from Germany who looked like twins but had only meet three weeks ago in Hong Kong. They too were looking for the Museum but thought they would visit the Pagoda as well.
We continued to walk up the road where on the opposite side I saw several silk shops and a modern building which turned out to be the Museum. As we got to the ticket desk the girls caught us up. We left our soaked brollies in the lockable brolly stand and set off following the signs. We saw live silk worms, that look like silver caterpillars, munch their way through layers of mulberry leaves in a large display room where in a corner were rows of fine bamboo frames on which the cocoons had been placed The rest of the scene was artificial. The next room was full of ancient weaving looms all ready threaded with coloured silk and if it hadn’t been a Sunday we would have had a demonstration. In the same room was a large block of concrete partly cut into a ‘V’ shape and placed between bamboo supports. Having seen a film first we knew that once the cloth had been woven it was then made into a large roll. The stone was then placed on the roll and a man would rock the stone from side to side supporting himself on the bamboo frame. He must have the best inner thighs in town! It was very quiet and Keith and I were the last to leave.
Our next stop was the ‘Silk Factory’ where we were guided down a wide passageway and greeted by a man who gave us a VIP card to use with our purchase if we made one. Again we saw the process of producing the cocoon but the next stage was something new to us. The cocoon was boiled, the insect removed, and the ball stretched over a bow shape piece of bamboo. A large frame would take 10 balls whilst a smaller frame only took 7. These were then left to dry naturally. In the adjoining room we watched one team of 4 ladies stretch fine silk pieces over a mattress. These were then carefully lifted to the other team who placed them in a cotton quilt cover before tying the end of the bag. They were currently producing double quilts today and whilst the cover was tied pressed studs were used to join the two quilts together. A silk king sized quilt cost 680 yuan. Through to the next room and we could also purchase bed linen and though there were some lovely designs I preferred the ‘bamboo design’ which dates back to 1720 and is still popular today. We missed most of the fashion show and so our final stop was in the factory clothing shop and whilst I admired the little black dresses Keith quite fancied a cream shirt – we bought nothing!
It was still raining as we walked on towards the old part passing another large modern complex that was ‘Suzhou Museum’ but we were getting hungry so continued to the small eating places by the canal that we had seen on Friday. I noticed a Tourist Information Centre and called in to ask for details on how to get to Mudu. The two young assistants were so helpful eve,n though they kept falling out over the information and bus numbers, but with a better map and their instructions, some of which they had written in Chinese, we thanked them. Just before we left I asked how long was the journey and how much would the fare be. “About an hour, and 1 or 2 yuan”. I said “It will be 2 yuan – it is always more expensive for the foreign tourist!”
It was getting late and the restaurants had finished with lunch. We didn’t want a Greek Salad or Tuna Sandwich and ‘The Bar’ only had pork dumplings which we knew would upset our stomachs so we didn’t want those either. Finally a Chinese man dressed in navy old style dress, the front part of his hair shaved away and having a pigtail invited us to enter a small building where we were greeted by a young and old lady. Looking at the menu which was also in English they asked if we would prefer to go upstairs so we all climbed up very narrow wooden stairs to the upper floor where 3 tables had been set by open windows. When it came to ordering food a lot of it was finished and the old lady said she only had one bowl of wonton vegetable dumpling soup but that would do for us plus a plate of spring rolls. The food would take a while we were informed and the young girl produced a bowl of sunflower seeds and a bowl of a round roasted bean that was very light and crunchy. The dumplings were delicious as were the spring rolls. We didn’t rush as there seemed to be no let up in the rain and a rather wet white cat began to meow loudly by a closed window. On shelves I looked at various caricatures of Chinese people made out of clay, the sculptor having a great sense of humour. As we paid our bill we discovered the man who had invited us in was the sculptor and the tapping that we thought was a workman close by was actually him working on a piece of stone, shaping it into a modern design of a woman in a similar style as all the other pieces of stone inside.
As we walked alongside the canal we passed the workmen’s tent where rain had stopped work and so three of them were fast asleep with no sign of teddy! We were glad to get home to the warmth of our room and now as we looked out of the window saw the rain had stopped!
We had to eat early as it was the Singaporean Grand Prix at 8pm. We had hoped to have mutton but there wasn’t any. As the race got underway Keith messed about with the remote and lost the channel. In the end the picture froze and he had to call for help. The lady who delivers our plate of fruit every evening came in, pressed the ‘input’ button and hey presto the Grand Prix was back. She left our room laughing hysterically!

CHINA 2010 SATURDAY 25th SEPTEMBER

A dull start to the day but it cannot be cold as more people than yesterday and walking and riding without jackets. We set out to explore the area around ‘The Grand Canal’ to the south of Dao Qian Street on which our hotel stands. We arrived at the wide canal where large tourist boats operate and part of the old city wall is still standing just as a group of local people got off their boat. At this point there is a large bridge over the canal and as the group began to fill it I couldn’t help but think of my embroidered picture at home of ‘The Morning Scene’ which features among other things a bridge full of people, so I just had to get my camera out.
Where we wanted to go looked so easy on the map but sometimes we found we couldn’t walk by the water and a couple of times found ourselves in housing complexes with only one way in and out. I complained it was like getting lost in Crete only I didn’t mind so much there as we were in a car, not on foot! In one of the complexes we watched older generation women practising at being models, receiving instructions from 3 ladies wearing silver ballroom shoes whilst two young girls were giving instructions through their microphones. A group of men playing mah-jong under a small pavilion showed no interest in what was going on.
We had a brief spell of sunshine on our way to visit ‘Canglang Pavilion’ (translated as ‘Surging Wave Pavilion’) where again there were very few tourists. On a much smaller scale than those sites we visited yesterday we enjoyed our visit here. The water was on the outside of the Pavilion with just a small fish pond inside. Again a colourful display had been arranged on a pebbled forecourt by the entrance and in front of another ‘mini mountain’. On this ‘mountain ridge’ I saw another small well with a narrow opening on top of the low wall around it and wondered why the well had been placed up here. (We have seen these wells in many places especially by the canals yesterday.) We visited several halls including one where we had to pass 4 old men sitting on the high wooden sill where in Temples ladies use their right foot first and men their left, to step over. Reading the information board written in Chinese and English we discovered this hall was where all the scholars met and we began to wonder if the old men were retired teachers. We spotted a group of ‘Pomelo’ trees overhanging a path – that would hurt if one fell on your head, and walking along the corridor by the lake I spotted a tiny green fruit in the shape of a green fig resting on a rock partly covered by a large trailing plant with more fruits on its thin branches. It began to rain as we were ready to leave and our umbrellas were back in the hotel so we waited a short time listening to the rain falling on the arrowhead bamboo and ginkgo trees.
Across the road was a small garden leading to the ‘Temple to Confucius’ where a sculptured scene showed Confucius with other people sat around him, and further along a colourful display to celebrate the 1st of October. Again we weren’t all that bothered about visiting the Temple but staff stood by the entrance encouraged us to come inside, especially as it was free. So just to please them we stepped over the sill and found ourselves in a very calming atmosphere. Behind an old ornate wall, and down a pathway lined with pots of bonsai trees, some standing on the backs of large stone turtles, was a statue of Confucius. Beyond that was the Temple with a large painting of the man himself, part of which was also inlaid with mother of pearl. In the corridors around the garden the walls had been filled with many stone plaques written by him. There were other buildings that we were unable to visit due to renovations taking place and we guess that once these have been finished the entrance fee will be re-introduced.
Our final destination was ‘Guhua Park’ on a corner of the Grand Canal where the first thing we saw were 4 kites in the sky. We walked along part of the city wall getting a view of Suzhou’s skyline and briefly watching a group of young men jumping on and over a narrow wall by the ‘gangway type slope’ leading down to ground level where some of the smaller trees were beginning to change into their autumn colours whilst others were producing new growth – very confusing. It began to rain again and so we headed for home eventually taking a taxi when one would stop for us.
Again we had dinner in the restaurant watching the traffic and public walk by. We watched in amazement as an old man with his back to us began to ‘head butt’ one of the gingko trees that line the road. His wife appeared and began to search the ground and then we realised he was shaking the tree. It was only next morning we saw the trees bore a small round orange fruit.

CHINA 2010 FRIDAY 24th SEPTEMBER

After an early good breakfast (as the restaurant closes at 9am) of duck, celery and fried rice we set off to visit the old part of Suzhou. The hotel only had a map in Chinese and we said that would be okay but in the end we had to ask for directions and found we were in a ‘walking street’ full of brand shops – not what we had expected at all. Outside one building crowds had gathered to watch the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of one company and at 10am we saw rockets exploding into the sky, a most unusual time to have a firework display. Looking at our map once more we saw that the next block across had a blue line running down by the marked roads. This was more like it narrow canals with lots of bridges and old buildings on either side as we had seen advertised on CCTV 9.
Today’s plan was to visit some of UNESCO’S World Cultural Sites of which there are several in this city after we had visited the ‘Temple of Mystery’ which we came across by chance. We made a brief stop being more interested in the large black and gold incense burner outside the Temple entrance where people were having trouble getting their large thick incense sticks alight. Taking a look through the doorway we saw once again the three ‘idols’ were covered in facial hair but as people prayed we moved away.
Our next stop was ‘The Humble Administrator’s Garden’ where a Chrysanthemum display in yellow and white was on show by the ticket office. Covering a large area around a small lake we walked up and down ‘mini man made mountains’ with shaped smooth rocks filling the landscape which reminded us of ‘The Stone Forest in Kunming’. The literature calls them mini mountains they were mounds with a few steps to climb up and down. We followed paths and corridors and visited halls with names such as ‘The House of Sweet Smelling Rice’, ‘The Listening to the Sound of Rain Pavilion’ (it wasn’t raining so we didn’t hear it) and ‘The Far Away Looking Pavilion’ (we couldn’t see much due to the tall gingko and other trees). As expected tour groups were here and we kept meeting up with a large group of French Canadians.
Passing the ‘Folk Museum’ we dropped here to see a display of ‘Cultivating Children’ culture with model scenes of the life of a baby from birth, one month to one year. However in several glass cases we could have a look at colourful paper models of Dragon Boats made in the style of the Chinese Junk.
Lunch stop was close by down a narrow entrance where green bottles were hanging down the wall whilst a few others were neatly piled on top of each other leading to ‘Bar 187’. Inside the theme was soft toys in all shapes and sizes and going upstairs there was even more, mostly monkeys. Up here the tables were partitioned by white patterned curtains. We ordered peppered beef and a couple of beers and whilst waiting for our food looked out the open window to the canal below and the tourist coach park. Our large plates of very peppery beef with julienne vegetables (a bit western style) and a large mound of nice rice also came with a bowl of vegetable soup containing 3 small meat balls floating in the liquid. When it came to paying we were only charged 10 yuan for our food!
On the move again we walked to ‘The Lion Forest Garden’ with winding paths. Caverns, water and rare old trees as well as many buildings but with so many tour buses parked outside we decided not to bother and would prefer to walk alongside the canal. We walked along a pedestrian area with lots of small wooden stalls full of colourful objects. Each stall sold a different handicraft from jade jewellery, satin embroidered items, dolls to a candy blowing man who refused to create something for two young girls until he sold the items he had already made. One little boy was pleased with his piece of striped candy on a stick which turned out to be a whistle.
We came to the canal and took many pictures of the old bridges and weeping willow trailing down to the water. We waved to people on the small boats being rowed along by both men and women using a single large oar. It cost 150 yuan to hire a boat and although we thought about taking one decided there was more to see on foot. With lots of coffee and tea shops art and crafts and clothes there was something for everyone. We stopped to listen to a young man play the ocarina outside a shop that only sold this instrument noting that the shop was full of customers. We came to a section of road where renovations were taking place and the workers had stopped for lunch sitting in the dining area of a large tent with their sleeping quarters at the other end. Outside on a line strung between the trees was a few articles of washing along with a huge teddy bear and we wondered who slept with the bear! As we moved on we had to avoid a small digger removing rubble from the side of the canal and causing a holdup of bicycles and scooters and a man with his fruit barrow. I didn’t like the traffic as the walkway was narrow enough without drivers refusing to slow down and tooting at everyone to get out of their way, but it is the same on all the other roads.
We stopped at the site of ‘The Twin Pagodas’ which was in a small and quiet area and again very old. The remains of ornate columns we saw standing was once the place of a great hall according to a diagram of the site hanging on one of the corridor walls.
It was not yet 4pm and as we were making our way back to the hotel came to ‘Suzhou Park’ so we went to see if anything was happening. We hadn’t got to the gate before we heard music. One side of the park was taken over by singers, musicians and dancers and being so close to each other it was bedlam! However as we got nearer to each singer the sound of others seem to fade into the background. The very young children loved the music and moved their feet up and down and then stopping to look at each other. Moving down to the small lake which was almost covered in large lotus leaves we saw a ‘Dalian sight’ people fishing for goldfish.
The sun was beginning to set and we were now flagging so after finding a convenience store to buy beer we came back to the hotel, but instead of walking by the road we followed the narrow winding pebble route looking at the different patterns that had been created from flowers to China’s black and white red crested crane.
As we entered the hotel the receptionist called us over asking for a further deposit on our room. It was easier to pay our bill for the whole stay as we cannot put our meals on our room.

CHINA 2010 THURSDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER

A very busy morning washing the bed linen, packing, cleaning, cooking a light lunch and throwing out clothes we are not taking home.
1pm we were ready to leave Xiamen hoping we would get away with our luggage weight on the flight from Xiamen to Shanghai and the carrier bags and holdalls we were going to use as hand luggage. We had noted the amount of bags the locals carried on the plane when we returned from Nantong so were not unduly worried about them but the suitcases seemed awfully heavy. Just over 40kg – great. We said our goodbyes to Mander and Helen thanking them again for everything they have done for us. We feel so much younger even if we don’t look it due to our stay in their city. Once we were through security without any problems we went down to the departure gate where boarding had already begun. There was only a few of us ferried out to the plane by bus and as we were about the last to board the stewardess closed the curtain between business and economy class. Most people had already boarded and with empty seats we were able to spread out. 2.15pm we pulled to the waiting area and 5 minutes after our departure time we were airborne. Our lunch today was a duo packet of dried cherry tomatoes in one section and mixed peanuts and almonds in the other plus a drink as long as it wasn’t alcoholic.
Landing at a gate it was a long walk to baggage reclaim even though very few people have hold luggage we still had a wait. Mr. Lui and Mr. Nee were waiting for us and whilst Mr. Nee took the luggage we didn’t require in Suzhou Mr. Lui rushed us to the train station adjoining the airport. We had 20 minutes before our bullet train left, unfortunately Mr. Lui didn’t know his way around the station and had to keep asking for directions. We tried following the signs but they weren’t very helpful and the outcome was the gate was closed and we had to have new tickets and wait about 30 minutes for the next slower train.
I chatted to a couple of students from Nanjing who had been celebrating the festival in Shanghai, one of them telling me her home town was Suzhou and it was lovely. We said goodbye to Mr. Lui and made our way down to the train. In carriage 15 we were sitting apart but as the train pulled out of the station Keith came to say no-one had occupied the seat next to him. I was sitting with three young people, two of which had immediately gone to sleep, but said I would wait until the next stop before moving. (We did not want a repetition of Anshan to Dalian when we thought we were going to be arrested over changing seats.) Again no one came so I joined Keith for the short distance. The whole journey had taken just over 30 minutes and the fare was 31 yuan for soft seats so it would be even cheaper on the hard seats.
It was almost dark when are emerged from the Railway Station where lots of building work is taking place. It was also a long walk to the bus station and adjoining taxi rank but with aisles of waiting taxis we didn’t have to wait. Our driver had to make a phone call before driving us to our hotel. (This has happened to us before so we were not worried.) We were dropped outside a very impressive illuminated building with lots of cars and a few coaches in the large car park. Our hotel was across the road, the ‘Leview Seasons Suites’ on Daoqian Jie, and with an efficient receptionist we were soon in room 228 almost at the end of the corridor with a view of the water which was a small canal and then the main road.
Our room was very nice and we had the luxury of a bath. We also had a Japanese style tea table but doubt if we shall use it fearing that once we sit so low we will not be able to get up! But best of all we have a leather bed with a soft mattress! In the bathroom I examined the boxes of toiletries etc. wondering what the ‘Vanity Kit’ was – a single cotton wool pad! A knock on the door and the housekeeper delivered a plate of fruit for us. As it was getting late we went to eat in ‘House 89’ one of the hotel’s two restaurants, the other being Japanese we think judging by the name. The food was very good and the prices similar to what we pay in ‘The Soup Expert’. We took a short walk but with it being dark didn’t venture too far noticing a distinct lack of restaurants and eating places. The price of beer in the nearby convenience store is extortionate as well so we will buy further afield.Back in our room Keith tried to get on the internet but failed so went to seek help from the receptionist who was now a young man and returned with him. No matter what they tried we couldn’t get a connection so thanked the young man for his trouble. Keith messed about and as I was about to settle down for the night finally got a connection but again the system was still very slow.