Crowne Plaza Suzhou

... is this the Venice of the East, but it also has the Leaning Tower of China. Of course, both the city and the tower predate their Italian counterparts by a few hundred years or more. <br><br>We took it slow through the complex, and the pace was a welcome change from the running we did in Beijing. It was a peaceful area, and all of the different tourists seemed happy to be there. A few in our group were pulled into pictures with the ...

... station table in front of her shop. There are always fifteen to twenty people milling around buying their breakfast from her. She has a couple of small wooden tables with four chairs each set-up beside her cooking station for people to sit and eat. They are always full. Right next door is a small shop that sells fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as bottled water and juice. Two or three times a week I'll stop to ...

... right by your shoulder!<br><br>Suzhou is sometimes called the Venice of the East apparently. Certainly the City centre is surrounded by the Grand Canal which goes all the way to Beijing, And there are plenty smaller canals criss-crossing the city but many of them peter out as they have been filled in or built over during a wave of Communist reconstruction. I believe moves are afoot to resurrect them. But the number of scooters certainly ...

... be fast asleep, some even while they stand - amazing. The Chinese staff will put their heads down on their desks and sleep. Any available couch will have a body on it sleeping. Lois and I will eat our lunches and then sometimes do school work, go for a long walk, ride our bikes to Starbucks for a treat, watch a movie on the computer (Yup, I know weird that we can actually watch a movie at lunch), or I'll listen to a Canucks game on the internet. It's ...

... my Chinese as there is always someone wanting to practise their English. In Suzhou I turned into a translator between a Chinese and Japanese guy. They could both speak a bit of English but were both unable to understand each other when speaking English so it made for some interesting, and sometimes slow, conversations.

... 5 hours out. I'm hoping that being that far out we might actually be able to see blue sky for the first time in a while. It's interesting for me b/c I've lived in Bellevue my whole life so the only time I've even seen smog is when I've been down in cali. No I see it everyday. The tours are cool and all but I've seen all I wanted to see (silk and tea) so now I'm about done, I hate being the tourist...grr. But yeah that's about it for now. See I told u that was gonna be long, lol.

... became. <br> <br>The little villages that dotted the fields were like something out of a movie. They captured the moment in time they were built and have brought it into the present. The architecture was all pretty much the same and it was wonderful. For the millionth time during this adventure my belly was filled with happy butterflies and I couldn't wait to arrive ...

... a celery dish that contains petals from a lily. When cooked, the petals have the texture of an onion. Also, quite good is a stewed pumpkin. I am not a big fan of pumpkin pie, but the Chinese pumpkin is different. The texture is similar to a well cooked boiled potato. This is easily one of the best meals and banquets that I have been to in China. We feel fortunate to be visiting Suzhou and their university because they are such gracious hosts.

... t hit anyone yet, they come soooo close! To re write a saying from Huge, "just shut your eyes as the cars go past!" (No dead cows yet Huge). The guy asleep at the wheel in the middle of peak hour traffic was also amusing. Today we have been on a day tour to Suzhou, up early (though with the time difference we were awake at 4.30am) and transferred to the train station. The drive though peak hour traffic was exciting. . . . . , a highlight of ...

... 21st and on to Beijing on the night train the evening of the 21st. Well arrive in Beijing the morning of the 22nd, and spend a few days checking out the sights, tieneman square, forbidden city, great wall etc... Then back to Bangkok for some kitschy souveneir shopping on the Khaosan at 525pm the 24th. Flight leaves for LA early am the 27th. WOW, its going by FAST!!! No Harry Potter thus far, as Beth would say... mew. w