[29th September]
just stopped in suzhou-suejoe-- which we visited on tuesday. a good day with mabel, a girl with three years guiding under her belt, unlike lilian, this year's graduate, who was monday's guide. mabel was informed and made sure we did tours backwards to avoid the flag following groups. we spent a long time in the humble administrators garden in suzhou unlike the forced march around the yuyuan the day before! skilfully mabel sussed the information lilian hadn't given us the day before so filled the gaps...and our tummies with choc ices when the afternoon proved very hot! :)
with lilian we did a rerun of sights we'd found for ourselves (bund, old city, not her fault tho') and suffered the obligatory teahouse stop, pearl shop stop, souvenir shop masquerading as art gallery....but she did the jade temple very well, organised lunch and supper and saved the boat trip for the early evening when the bund and the facing buildings are all lit up and have a kind of light show of their own.
but it was mabel who explained that fields of huge leafed plants in water are lotus and the chinese eat the root and the seeds. we were enchanted by the seed heads that we realised form part of my pot pourri back in crouzi! :)
the canal trip in suzhou was not as pretty as i'd been led to believe but was typical of chinese life as we had seen it elsewhere complete with smells! as in other places suzhou is half demolished amd being rebuilt 'for the olympics'.
there should be a sign at the border saying,
'sorry, china is closed for improvements due to the olympic games'!
we couldn't get into the peace hotel on the bund or into the little museum under the monument at the start of the bund as they are 'closed for refurbishment'. the museum is an art gallery at present where a very persistent and charming young 'art student' parted me from 100 yuan for one of 'his' artworks. what a silver tongue he had!
it was mabel who persuaded us to that the shanghai acrobats were not to be missed and she was absolutely right. after a nervous wait for a taxi (hotel cock up again) we arrived at an amazing complex and saw a very professional show. slender bendy girls and athletic young men, something to please everyone! :)
we ate strange new things at a pavement restaurant (mabel's suggestion again) under trees filled with fairy lights amid chinese in holiday mood for 'mid autumn day'. the inevitable photos to remember the moment and a taxi back to 'that' hotel!
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