Fenglin Hotel Suzhou

... is not allowed people smoke regardless. If you are eating at any restaurant you will be surrounded by smokers. Here is what drives me crazy though. Starbucks is supposed to be non-smoking, but you will still have the odd smoker inside. The change room at my gym is supposed to be non-smoking, but many Chinese men seem to like to have a smoke in the change room after they workout. Come on, what's that about! The train is supposed to be ...

Today I wore two pairs of socks, boots, long johns, pants, two long
sleeve shirts, a fleece coat, a scarf and a long lululemon raincoat. I
wore my gloves and mitts with a hat on our bike ride to school, but
took those off for class. I didn't take any of my other clothing items
off for the majority of the day. Oh, I suppose that is not entirely
true.

I have been the door nazi today. The students don't really
think ...

... my itinerary, which included Pingyao, one of the best examples of beautifully preserved ancient architecture in the country. Their response invariably was: "why would you go there?...it's so old!"

Good question. While us Canadians, accostomed to shiny objects, crave exposure to a past we've never had, the Chinese seem to prefer the modernity that reflects their recent success, opting instead for the glimmering cities of Shanghai or Hong Kong.

... 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.

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 ...

... up".

It was almost 7:45am when we arrived to the train station. It was busy. I went to tobacco store to buy a charge balance to my SIM card. By the way, this is my second visit to China but first visit to Suzhou. I bought my SIM card from Guangzhou and I faced a problem when I tried to contacted my family the service is not covered. My GSM card is ChinaUnicom and a friend of mine suggested me to buy Easyown GSM card which costs for international calls (4 ...

... we ate brought us way too much food. It is hard to order for two even though we tell them only bring food for two we end up having food for four. My favorite place to eat in Suzhou was a little café that served "Dim Sum" which is a Chinese appetizer of steamed dumplings containing various fillings. This cafe had many Chinese appetizers which were cheap and declicious and allowed us to sample several dishes without over ordering……more coming soon

... bamboo basket, while they munched apathetically on mulberry leaves. David stroked them - very soft and fluffy he said. I took his word for it!! Actually they looked really sweet. Their tiny little eyes and nose looked just like an aeroplane cockpit!! I really do have an overactive imagination...! Then we saw the silk chrysalis that they emerge from, like butterflies. Fascinating stuff. Then we walked through a factory where women washed the ...

... taught Medical courses at the University level and, seemingly, enjoyed each day with a beautifully selfless approach to life. He was so eager to hear our life stories, and so willing to explain words that we did not know, so as to progress our conversation. He touched my heart in a way that I believe only elderly people can. Their approach to life is so remarkable, it is a great shame we do not spend more time hearing the stories our elders have to share with us.

... she says, first all together and then individually. The kids have these little dialogues they have to memorize and recite, which to me seems kind of ineffective because they aren't thinking about what they're saying. For example, they've learned to say "Good afternoon, Ms. Wong" at the beginning of each class, so when David and I said "Good afternoon, class" they responded with "Good afternoon, Ms. Wong," so we had to explain that you can insert other names ...

... on TV. Happy? In an effort to cut down expenduture, I've decided that breakfast will now onsist of instant noodles, unless i feel like something else of course. The savings will be spent on a Vienetta on a stick. That's right - a vienetta on a stick. You know Vienetta? That long icecream roll that mum would never let you buy? Yep - on a stick. ****ing genius. I have no idea why we don't have vienetta on a stick in Austraila - it's a outrage. But it's haven and ...