Sofitel Suzhou

... enough.

an hour of tossing the apartment later, i went back to work with three boarding passes. (thank god i travel so much.) got one from my trip to japan, singapore and taiwan. the one for taiwan was over 8000 rmb so that should be good and enough, right?

wrong! went back to the accountant and she said that the one for singapore was from a long time ago- she said a year and a half ago. the others were also old- japan was a year ...

... 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

... relaxing outside their house waved and smiled at us as we passed.



Ticket Price:
35rmb
Time Needed:
45 minutes
Hours of Operation:
7:00-8:30 A cruise leaves every 30 minutes
Location:
Cruises leave from the Shuishanglvyou Wharf

... 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.

... The hotel was beautiful. In the middle of the hotel, there was a fish pond with a walking bridge across the center. All rooms looked down into the center of the hotel to see this pond and garden. As usual, our dinner was fantastic and we rolled back to our rooms. The boys went out with Graham to walk around after dinner to get a feel for the local culture. The pace here, is slower than Beijing, and I was enjoying it.

... d be walking along a canal in a tiny alley and parts of my mind would flash back to walks I had in Bruges or Venice. Take away the Chinese characters on signs and parts of Suzhou could comfortably relax in any canalled European city. It would be very strange and hard to experience a part of China that was so closely related in my mind to Europe and then have to shift into a mental mode that could handle a completely Asian experience, like walking ...

... Chinese people bring with them - not so watch luggage but rather their homes didn't add to the serenity when all the people moved 3) The smoking - enough said 4) The food trolley - imagine a train carriage in which there are so many people in the aisle that you can barely move - now add a food trolley - you get the idea So I got off the train and went to get a taxi to the hostel cause I couldn't be bothered trying to save $3 taking a bus ...

... in the afternoon. it was huge! and we were lucky enough top be there when they opened the slides. we went for dinner in the hotel. alliance had arranged a special dinner for my birthday and they had bought a cake. the cake and dinner were excellent and we all enjoyed ourselves. now its back to the orphanage. there are two new babies whom we named auto and nathan. hope all is well in the states! thanks for all the birthday wishes. i can't wait to see you all! love miriam