Holiday Inn Jasmine Suzhou

... 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 ...

... back out to "Capture Chongming". We visited wetlands, grasslands, forests, and villages over the weekend. The island closed down the roads just for us to get around without any problems. When we started taking pictures other photographers from China and video cameras would appear. They loved taking pictures of the foreigners taking pictures. I figure its a way that they draw in tourists to Chongming by showing that Westerners come so it must be ...

... firm guy). I probably traveled too much and feel trapped in a schedule - directed by someone else but me - and I am used to be alone, talk to people, play with kids and eat at hawker's stalls :). I know it's business trip - but HEY - that's it - the core business begins on the market - haggling for the price - where "I help you - you help me - I'm happy, you're happy" and where psychology and reading people are the key. And yes, I know - since the day I ...

... 1800 (over $250, and that is not counting the extra they charge for the packaging or to ship it). I passed, and instead opted for a cushion cover for a much more reasonable price. I'm not saying those quilts aren't worth the price, though. And I bought some gorgeous fabric that I will take home and make into pillows myself. Tonight it is an overnight sleeper train to the next city on our itinerary. There will be an update when I can - til then - Zaijian !

... south to Zhuhui Lu and then headed back to Renmin Lu to find a KFC for a coffee fix before pointing my feet northwards and slowly heading home amongst the neon streets filled with happy people. <br> <br>Beers N Noodles toya.....shane <br>_________________________ <br>The soundtrack to this entry was The Dandy Warholes <br>The album was the brilliant '13 Tales' <br><br> <br>

... went to the Grand Hyatt in the Jinmao tower what used to be one of the tallest towers in the world. We shared a bottle of wine on the 87th floor called cloud 9 amd have great chat from politcs to hair to make up to the state of the economy it was really interesting and one of the highlights of China for me. Day 4 looked around French concession with the girls then chilled out for the night. Day 5 Went back to hangzhou for a few days

The past few days in Shanghai have been about food and family. There have been numerous family dinners since we got back from Beijing. Ting has not seen her family for 2 1/2 years so there has been a lot of catching up to do. Thats not counting the fact of the first white fellah in the family. For those that have not experienced it, you should make it a priority to spend at least one chinese New years eve in a major city in China. I dont know how to describe it, but it was amazing. The ...

Today it was an opportunity to take a bit of a walk around on our own. ting decided to take me to Xintiandi to have a look. This is a very touristy spot and pretty new, but it is lovely architecture and is worth a look. We walked around the various alleyways and took photos before stopping for a mid morning coffee. I cant say I have had a latte or a cappuccino served with whipped cream, but it was certainly a better coffee than the 60RMB ...

... bum. When the kid has "to go" the parents hold it over the side walk so it can make "poo" on the street? *The Nomad asks the question: Would it be OK if I made "poo" on the street? Is there an age restriction to making "dookie" on the street? For some reason Chinese dogs hate me? When I walk down the street Asian dogs go wild! They usually want to eat me! The funny thing is when I had a Japanese friend visit me in the USA my sister's dog went crazy as well. Maybe ...