Grand Metropark Hotel Suzhou

... and taiwan was longer than that.

i said i haven't traveled too much this year. the only trip i took was to go to thailand. and y'all never told me i needed the boarding passes to get a reimbursement that is clearly stated in the contract. i asked about other receipts. i've got plenty of medical receipts. she said they're going to have to be traveling ones. i said does it matter if they're not in rmb? i found some rail passes/receipts ...

... what's changed? what's remained the same?

lil was telling me that she had a friend in australia that just recently left the states. as a joke, she asked her friend what's changed back home? it's only been a year so how much could have really changed, right?

well her friend tells her that blockbusters don't really exist anymore. like a lot of other stores, they're all closing, and selling their dvds for $1. and you can rent movies at these machines all over the place ...

... 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

... one of Suzhou's four most famous gardens. The garden used to be the private residence of a very rich merchant. It is unbelievable that this place used to be private property. It is so huge and so beautiful and extravagant. Almost instantly upon entering the garden I heard traditional Chinese music. I just figured it was piped in through speakers. When we entered the garden area I ...

... 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.

... packets! I gave them a bunch of flowers, some oranges and some sweets (all traditional gifts) whch they seemed to really like. We spend ages eating and chatting before watching this TV gala thing. It's quite a tradition in China. I was really surprised to find myself watching....Irish dancers! I can't think of the faintest connection this has with China and I've yet to meet someone who knows Ireland is not part of England/London. At about 11.30pm, we set off firecrackers and fireworks ...

... disadvantaged group of people. The taxi line was easily 100 + people deep and we were immediately accosted for private cars and tours. We stayed the course and after about an hour were rewarded as we pulled up to the Renaissance Hotel in the Industrial Park area of Suzhou. The Industrial Park area is an ultra modern enclave of high rise hotels, apartments and high tech companies. Truly a first class area. Our hotel was once again 5 stars (we are getting ...

... the orientation meeting for the Howard Community College students. Their classes start on Monday. For their three-week course they will spend mornings immersed in language training and the afternoons either touring Suzhou sites or participating in cultural activities like tai chi. Some have taken Chinese before while others will be taking their first classes. The news ones are understandably a little nervous. Learning a new language as an adult is difficult and especially ...

... patterns. The view from the dining room window was out to a small shopping area. It featured shops with clothing seconds (only 19 Yuan for tee-shirts that had a delightful "Chinglish" statements that gave one pause...what could they possibly have been trying to say?), pirated cds and dvds for only 4 yuan each (about 50 cents) and alleys that were busy with food markets or women washing clothing in a shared laundry sink. Every residence window was festooned with drying clothes ...