Suzhou
Suzhou (pronounced Sue-Joe) is a water town west of Shanghai known for its beautiful traditional gardens, the largest being The Humble Administrator’s Garden. The town was right out of films: red lanterns, silk, gardens, and canals.
Shanghai Railway Station
To get there, a coworker, his friend, and I took a high-speed D-Train from Shanghai Railway Station. The 45-minute journey was more like a flight than a train ride. Seats are assigned by ticket, tea and snack carts are pushed down the aisles, and there are sickness bags and exit maps behind every seat.
Streets of Suzhou
The city, especially this shot, reminded me of Tintin in China. I would have brought a copy of The Blue Lotus by Herge but didn’t want to be caught with literature that stereotyped this culture. The ancient part of the town has broad paved walking lanes lined with old or historically renovated buildings.
Spicy Chicken with Peanuts
Before sightseeing, we went out for lunch. Pictured above is a popular Szechuan dish (Sichuan is a province known for its spicy food). Also on the table are shrimp cooked in another province’s style, a hot pot dish from yet another province, and deep fried salty-sweet pork, a Suzhou specialty.
Suzhou Infant
This girl, the restaurant owner’s daughter, stared at me by my side for the entirety of the meal.
WC
Suzhou’s public restrooms were reminiscent of India, where even the toilets in the airports consist of no more than two treads and a hole.
(more pics to come – Garden of the Humble Administrator)
I really like your blog. Nice photos and insightful commentary. It really captures the freshness and excitement of visiting another country.
Simmy I read your blog every day,It is very interesting and entertaining. The bazaars and the hanging of items to attract
the customers is quite like in India, It will make you an efficient
shopper, And I like your photography. You will come back
with an enriched personality.
Bahuth shukriya, Nani.
Yeah, squat toliets! I hope you have a blast Simmy. If you have time, you should definitely try to go to Yangshuo and go biking in the countryside. It is an amazing town by the river and mountains and less touristy than nearby more-known Guilin.
Eek, that toilet brings back one of my few unpleasant memories of Japan. Traditional toilets there (even in Tokyo Disneyland, of all places!) are just like those.
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