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.
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.
posted by Pam at
13:29
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