Rongqi Hostel Wujiang

Suzhou is home to China's famous gardens, where poets, artists and philosophers spent their time during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Ah, the good old days. Sitting around drinking tea, shooting the ****, and attaining moral perfection.

But the Chinese have no trouble moving on. Like most of the North, the history of this city seems covered in a thin layer of dust kicked up by progress. What remains seems to exist exclusively for tourist dollars, evidenced by whole towns in ...

... walking across it though and observing people. I was knew the Square was the subject of heavy surveillance by the Chinese government but I was still surprised by the number of policemen, soldiers and cameras on each pole. It's quite different from Shanghai or even the other touristic parts of the capital. Even to cross the streets that border Tiananmen, it is necessary to go underground and go through a security screening ...

... limit: the ocean¡¦s edge. It is a beautiful harbor, in a city kind of way ¡V nothing like the beautiful expanses of Sydney or Auckland but nevertheless spectacular in its way ¡V and, I hear, considered one of the most beautiful harbors in the world. It was one giant display of technological prowess and Christmas cheer ¡V interspersed among the massive advertisement billboards there were dozens of brightly lit Christmas murals made of lights that encompassed the entire side of many ...

... mean it's cheap. But for a high-rise fancy restaurant, which it was, it was very reasonable. And considering that Nikki paid, hey, it was incredibly reasonable. The restaurant was amazing. The waitress didn't speak a word of English, and when we tried to ask a question and she started talking I swear she just started her intro speech over again three or four times. It was a really good thing Nikki knew what she was doing. We all ordered soup, but it wasn't actually to eat: you see, the ...

... found in (i.e., smashed up with the weight of nearly 2,000 years worth of dirt pressing down on them) and to get some information about the restoration work in progress. Pit 2 was closed for renovations (like a lot of things in China at the moment, as part of the herculean effort to get ready for the Games) but Pit 3 was interesting, as was the 360 degree cinema with the film about the whole shebang. It ...

... everything about being a "backpacker" on my own, all at once. In other words, I haven't had to focus too much on my spoon and have been able to enjoy all the wonderful new things around me. But, my time in China is drawing to a close, so I've spent the last week trying to focus more on "the spoon", planning out where to go next well enough to 1) stay alive and 2) still be able to enjoy myself. If you decide to venture off on your own ...

... as Nanjing Road. Thousands upon thousands of people line the river bank trying to find a spot to take photos of the Pudong area across the water. At one stage in Shanghai's past, this area was just like Wall Street. Alot of money changed hands, smiles came and went in tears and I'm sure in this town many years ago lives came and went to. The architecture was pretty much ...

... and everyone was still sickle in hand. This was a rice paddy). All the sewer lids say they were cast in 2005 or 2006. There is a statue of Winston Churchill, Harry Potter, and a bunch of Bears like those I saw standing around in Vienna and Berlin last year. Inside one of the buildings, someone stacked four hundred of those patio chairs I hate so much (see previous entries). Since they're made in China I can't say that I didn't expect to see them here. I ...

... everything from cheap luggage to watches to other things which I won't specifically mention. Since Bali I've reached the point where I don't even say "no thanks" anymore, and just power on by them. I felt bad at first, but if you saw that I didn't even flinch at the guy selling luggage 10 feet before, why would you ask if I want some luggage!?!?! Other than that, the city is really nice - a lot of character too in the buildings and the layout. One complain, and ...

... is like Hong Kong, but even more expensive. Not quite as mad and the people aren't quite as rich, and their are *****************ers. You can buy just as many a bad fake Rolex (best price was 3 Rolex and 3 Mont Blanc pens for 100RMB all for just sitting there saying "No I don't want any of that horrible ****". But if you have been to HK, don't bother. We headed to the nearest Irish Pub. Big Love T&S