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Suzhou is an ancient city, best characterized by its numerous gardens and canals throughout. There are also plenty of historic stone bridges. Since the Song dynasty creating and maintaining gardens has been a staple in this town, aided by the often warm and humid environment. It's only a half hour west of Shanghai.
I arrived in the evening and staked out a hostel near the train station. It was right along one of the ancient streets. Once settled in I met one of the hostel employees, a guy named Eddie, he was Chinese but studied in Switzerland for a few years and so his English was really good. He supplied me with loads of info on the place and later on that night I joined him and a few other hostel guests for some food and beer at a nearby street vendor. A few Chinese chicks came along and this eccentric guy we later nicknamed Uncle Boss, who would pay for everything for everyone, he was a reporter for a TV station in Beijing and was on vacation. We stayed out late that night and enjoyed street side sounds.
Next day I woke early and began a big day
of walking. I went up Shangtan Lu, an old cobblestoned street along a canal, heading towards Tiger Hill. The day was hot, almost thirty degrees, and the sky was a blue I'd not seen for a long time. A refreshing change from the bigger cities. I reached Tiger Hill and ascended, lots of gardens and trees, and an obstructed view of the town below. I meandered for an hour up here, and took some shade as the heat was draining. I then walked back the way I came and went along towards the centre of town. Everywhere one looks there is plant life and gardens. I walked along the downtown section and visited another large garden area, of course in traditional Chinese style. I spent another hour here taking photos of all the greenery and then took off up another historic stone street and then walked all the way back to the hostel. Did about eight hours of walking on this day. The soles of my shoes were indented by my feet and man were they painful for a while.
That evening I went out with Eddie again, visited some expat bars and some local bars. Boy Eddie sure
likes drinking.
The following day I went over to a nearby town called Tongli, like Suzhou it focused on garden and canal design. It was a nice and relaxing place for the most part. There were many different places to visit within the old town which dated back about 2500 years. There were many ponds with koi fish swimming about and gorgeous greenery. I spent a good few hours there.
The final night there I told Eddie it was a tiring day and that I was going to stay in. He convinced me to go out with him for one beer and I agreed. A few hours later and we'd already been to a few bars and one club. I met a Taiwanese guy who was buying me drinks and introducing me to all these friends. At the end of the night Eddie and I met these two Filipinas in a bar and then went to eat with them at some local food place. So much for making it an early night...
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