Super 8 Suzhou

... the first few people have completely finished their meals. STUPID!!!!

... they are freezing too, but they leave the classroom and leave
the door open. Are they crazy???!!! I have been vigilant in closing
the classroom door and therefore my classroom warms up nicely by the
end of the day I took off my scarf, raincoat and even for awhile my
fleece coat. It is to be noted though, that I get to stand directly in
the line of the heater. It is wonderful. The heater blows right where
the teacher stands ...

Suzhou is home to China's famous gardens, where poets, artists and philosophers spent their time during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Ah, the good old days. Sitting around drinking tea, shooting the ****, and attaining moral perfection.

But the Chinese have no trouble moving on. Like most of the North, the history of this city seems covered in a thin layer of dust kicked up by progress. What remains seems to exist exclusively for tourist dollars, evidenced by whole towns in ...

... cross and a countdown in green focuses any dithery mind on reaching the other side in time.

This all sounds good in theory but the practice is a bit more hair-raising. The bikes, scooters and rickshaws come in hoards and don’t seem to have to obey the lights so it’s a bit like a game of dodgems but against the clock.. The worst ones are the electric scooters which sneak up silently behind you and then “Beep beep ...

... br>
After checking in luggages we went to waiting room. I can't imagine what I will do without a guide because there were no English signs telling you the way the gates.I believe that you can't talk in English even with employee of train station because they didn't speak English! By the way, the boarding ticket from Shanghai to Suzhou costs 26 Yuan. The train is excellent, the seat is comfortable, and the AC is working fine. At the beginning, the employee ...

... is the relationship that lasts and defines you on a long term :). In the afternoon we went to the Silk Factory which was the "ueber tourist" experience and basically a shopping trip - I didn't know that you have to BOIL silk worms - kill them to get silk - hmmm ... animal protection has a long way 2 go :) (arrrgh, now the screaming kid is gone and my wonderful french neighbors are in the pool - La vie des animaux :) yea damn ... in times like these: homo ...

... in town, and climbed it part way. Afterwards, we went to the Humble Administrator's Garden, which is widely regarded as one of the best gardens in China. It takes up 4 hectacres on the southeast side of the city and is well worth the RMB 70 ($10) admission. There was peace and quiet and it was a blessed escape after the past few days. I would've returned there today, but it is raining. Last night, we went to the Master of Nets Garden for the evening ...

... prices I decided there and then to boycott any site that has such a stupid thing.

During normal season the price is 40 Yuan but during holiday season it jumps to 70 Yuan. That's almost all my daily allowance gone in one garden.

Bugger your Administrators Garden Suzhou and bugger your Peak Prices!

I spent the next several hours zig zagging my ...

... for 5 hours, I settled in the most expensive place I've stayed in, yet. I think, that had I known the language, or more people could speak English, I would have find a cheaper place to stay much earlier. Suzhou is famous for its zen gardens, of which I visited 2. I really like this kind of gardens. They are not blossoming gardens, but gardens ...

... sculptees dans la falaise, mais difficilement accessibles. Pour le coup le bateau doit etre plus valable si on tient a les photographier. De Chengdu je suis parti pour Chongqing, embarquer sur un des ferries reliant la ville a Wuhan via le Yang Tse et le barrage des trois gorges. J'ai pu rester quatre heures a arpenter Chongqing, grande ville sans le paraitre, encaissee dans les montagnes et les pieds mouillant dans le Yang Tse. L'ancien QG de Tchang Kai Chek aurait sans doute valu un ...