The small town of Tongli is only about an hour away from Suzhou, easily accessible by bus. Well, actually it takes me longer to get to the bus station in Suzhou by local bus than it does to Tongli. Upon arrival, I buy a few baozi for breakfast and make my way to the centre. I grudgingly pay the hefty 90 yuan it costs to enter the old town; what's the use of complaining - it is a touristy little town and they wanna max out the profit, just like anywhere else. I can't help but wonder what it would be like were, say, the Heidelberg Altstadt fenced off and accessible only through a gate where tourists have to buy pricy tickets to enter. Visiting Tongli on a Sunday might not have been the brightest idea,
... read more