Suzhou Lexiang Hotel

... br><br>So far, our trip in the south has far exceeded our expectations in everything but the food. The lunch and dinner were both less appetizing than the food in Beijing. Perhaps it&#8217;s because it was the fourth day in a row with just Chinese food. XO, the downtown GR Chinese restaurant will be off the rotation for a while when we get home!<br><br>A couple of random Suzhou notes:<br><br><br> Chinese people don&#8217;t generally care ...

... to buy. As we pedal along we see the local seamstress sitting at a table in front of her shop working away on her latest project. Next to her shop is the local water-well. Several people are gathered around drawing water for their gardens, or scrubbing their clothes in large pails of soapy water. A little farther along we are careful to dodge the chickens running across our path as we pass an old man who is often ...

... carp in the ponds are just beautiful. Sadly, we don&#8217;t have room for the pagodas and pavilions. The entrance fee is not expensive and the Chinese make the most of the nooks and crannies, some just sitting having a quiet chat, others get out the flasks and enjoy their picnic. <br><br>Central Park is a community resource with no entrance fee and it is delightful. As we enter we are attracted by some haunting music. Following it to its ...

... be fast asleep, some even while they stand - amazing. The Chinese staff will put their heads down on their desks and sleep. Any available couch will have a body on it sleeping. Lois and I will eat our lunches and then sometimes do school work, go for a long walk, ride our bikes to Starbucks for a treat, watch a movie on the computer (Yup, I know weird that we can actually watch a movie at lunch), or I'll listen to a Canucks game on the internet. It's ...

... meat since we have come over. Most of the teachers have jumped right in and eat anything put before them. All of them have had some stomach issues through the last 3 months. Lois and I have been fortunate so far. No stomach issues at all. The food has been great. The Chinese people really like meat with their meals though, so in many establishments it's pretty difficult to find a lot of vegetarian dishes on the menu. And ...

... were a couple of rabbits in the sculpture garden. The museum was formerly a missionary school, something we all thought was pretty hilarious,. Then we drove to Shanghai. That is an amazing City - 18 million people. This is wehre there are millions of young people peddling fake rolex watches, it was just about impossible to walk a few steps without someone offering you watches, designer handbags, or cute ...

... was a youth hostel... so if anyone wants to visit I'll show you the place. The coffee was 25 kuai, which is about $3.50. This is incredibly expensive considering that I have eaten 5 meals for this same price. The coffee was rather mild. However, it was totally worth it and we figure that we will learn how to say "double shot" soon. We already met one of the regulars there and Maria and I have decided to also become regulars and join in on local conversations. On another note, we also ...

... Pingqi Lu which took me northeast once again and soon I was standing on the bridge than crosses Waicheng He (River). Today I decided to see some less expensive gardens so I began my adventure in the East Garden which runs along Waicheng He. <br><br>It cost only 10 Yuan to enter and the reason it is so cheap is because it should be free. <br>It's pretty ...

... than the other) - the one in Italy. I know. It's Vienna." "Oh yeah - Vienna." "Yeah - reminds me of Vienna". Idiots. The more and more I consider the Venice v Suzhou comparison, the more and more I think it appropriate. At first, I was going to write - "Venice of the East? Not quite...". However, my final conclusion, after a 3 day deliberation, is that Suzhou lacks that amazing photogenic quality that Venice has, and certainly doesn't have the romance of ...

... 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 ...