Suzhou is known as The Garden City, with dozens of beautiful parks to visit. We went to Tiger Hill, which has a pagoda that is taller, older, and leans more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Who knew?
This sign made me want to say "Aww..." and then stomp all over the grass to see if anyone would do anything about it.
And for lunch? Mexican food, of course. The green chili tostadas were great, and now I have a picture in one more country where David is ignoring me for his iPhone.
As you may have noted from the earlier posts, I didn't do a whole lot of shopping in Shanghai. I was paralyzed by choice, had no idea what to buy or where, and I am the Worst. Haggler. Ever. But Keith, being a "local", knew all the great spots to go shopping for pearls, bags, silks and other "imitation" goods. Hermes scarves for $10!
We also visited a place that the locals call Plant and Pet Alley. Along with selections of puppies and birds, came the more unconventional choices for pets. Everything from crickets (in those baskets)...
...to scorpions...
...to chipmunks.
Ignoring Keith when he said that they all might not be used as "pets", we moved on to dinner. There's a special local dish called Mandarin Fish, that is basically a fish turned inside out, deep fried, and covered in orange sauce. Yum!
Our last stop on the Suzhou shopping spree was a CD/DVD place, where we of course, with our local guide, were allowed in "the back room" to shop. My favorite buy was Glee Season One for $1! This is so much better when you're with someone who knows what they are doing.
Along with that leaning Pagoda and great Mexican food, did you know that Suzhou is also the Venice of China? Lots of pretty canals that surround the old part of the city, complete with boat rides and Chinese guys that sing to you as you go along.
Our last stop was a local tea house, where we were entertained by a very intense little girl learning this stringed instrument (I can't remember what it's called), hand flourishes and all.
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And thus ends my first trip to China. After months of taking Mandarin lessons, you want to know what my most useful phrases were? Ni hao (hello), duoxiao qian (how much?), tai gui le (too expensive!), and xie xie (thank you). Oh and this one: zai jian (good bye). That's all you need, the rest is just hand waving and pointing.
Until next time... zai jian!
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