Castle Hotel Suzhou

i have less than a week of work left. so i went to the accountant today to talk about my airfare reimbursements. after your contract ends, you're supposed to get 6000 rmb to use for your trip back home, if you want. i want.

you're supposed to get half after 6 mths and the other half at the end of your contract. since my 6 mths was over in july, i was out of town at that time. so i'm supposed to get the full amount now.

so i went in ...

... a couple of things once i'm officially back on us soil. first is a job. like everyone else, this 30% unemployment rate is scaring the bejesus out of me. i've heard that nola hasn't been too bad but i'm not sure if i'm ready to go back to dead-end jobs. but beggars can't be choosers, right?

another thing that's been bothering me is the time warp. i've been away from home for two years. more if i consider new orleans to be my home. but anyway, two years away from america is a long ...

... refreshing experience in my opinion. I mean, most years i do the routine two family dinners, both a little boring and containing not near enough booze to get me through happy and content. Also you could never play a decent game of Trevors Ass at a family dinner haha. Trev i'm hoping you'll read this because then at least one person will get my joke! But anyways, great night, great company, and great laughs =). 
Happy turkey eating!
-B

... is now. The garden is separated into three principal parts, east, central and west. The eastern section has colourful flowers but is of less interest than the other two.

We enjoyed a cruise on the one thousand year old Grand Canal then went to an embroidery workshop and had lunch at a nearby restaurant.

That night we took a taxi to a shopping area and checked out the local shops, found a KFC and had a burger for tea.

... from Shanghai and known as a garden city. The traffic is horrendous and road rules are very limited, there are push bikes, motor bikes and scooters everywhere, helmets not worn and even the babies are taken on the bikes and held by a parent. Enjoyed a walk along the street dodging the bikes parked on the footpaths and taking our lives in our hands when we crossed the road, even when it's on a crossing with the green light.

... works out of Shenzhen. He knew just enough English for us to communicate adequately and was very pleasant to have along as I toured the water town. Overall Suzhou has been great and I met so many new people and made new friends. My next stop is Huangshan or "The Yellow Mountain" which is depicted in many famous Chinese mountain paintings. My train leaves tommorow! Check back for more photos and updates as I will try to keep them coming as frequently as possible.

... is from montreal. it's just french fries with a light brown gravy and melted mozzarella cheese on top. but it's good and hot and filling. me and lacey split that along with some pizzas. phil said he's eaten more pizza in china that he had back home.

after lunch, we checked out one of suzhou's famous gardens. we settled on the humble adminstrator's garden. it was beautiful. but you expect it to be nice when it's 70 quai.

... Pot menu's vary widely - but literally almost any body part of a chicken or cow can be ordered. Some of the more popular are intestines and brains). We ventured out a bit, ordering "Fish Balls" (not testicles, but rather mushed together balls that taste like fish), "American Meat" (no idea what type of meat... perhaps American Citizen Meat - bound to be tender and fatty), Beef, potatoes, noodles, and lots of veggies. The large dual-vat of broth ...

... China you see pinyin on some signs and storefronts, but the problem is most Chinese only know the characters not the pinyin. In the 1950s Chairman Mao made a push to abandon the characters and switch to pinyin. But this was one program, in which Mao did not get his way. Many Chinese then and now feel the written language is at the heart of being Chinese because it is so intertwined with their culture and history. Even though I am a weiguoren, I would agree whole heartedly with this ...

... s locked off the top floor), boat ride in the canals, little garden island in the middle of a lake (bit of archery shooting and climbing hills in the most incredible heat). We're actually a bit of an attraction ourselves - not a lot of westerners here (we use to point and comment ourselves when we saw one), so people just about fall off their bikes because they ...