Blogs from Suzhou, Jiangsu, China, Asia - page 11

Jin Ji Lake is a fairly modern area in Suzhou. Ten years ago, the lake was surrounded by farmland and fishermen. The area around the lake has now been developed with business areas, beautiful parks, residence areas, and a 9 mile walkway around the entire lake. The Lake is inside of the Suzhou Industrial Park or SIP, which was developed with the help of Singapore. "There are eight neighborhoods with diverse water and landscape expressions encircling Jinji Lake. Each neighborhood has its own identity. Neighborhoods on the western and northern shores, closer to the city of Suzhou, feature broad promenades that attract residents and workers to the water's edge. Waterfront parks are adjacent to shopping, entertainment, and cultural destinations. These neighborhoods have names like Cityside Harbor, Marina Cove, Grand Promenade, and Arts and Entertainment Village. On ... read more

Shantang Street is the most famous ancient street in Suzhou, said to be almost 1200 years old, built in the Tang Dynasty in 825AD. The founder was Bai JuYi, a famous poet of the time. The canal along the back of the shops and houses is called the Shantang River. The area has been home to many famous Chinese people in the past. It was - and still is - an important business center. There were some famous buildings along the street, but the signs were all in Chinese, so I have NO idea what they were! The street runs between the Dusengqiao Bridge in the Changmen Gate business district and the Washanqiao Bridge near Tiger Hill. It is 4 to 4 1/2 miles long and we walked about 1 1/2 miles of it. It was ... read more

If you don't understand my love for dogs or if you don't like them yourself - don't bother reading any further. On thursday, I was walking with Amanda and came across a little dog. He was all wonky and rickety and so ugly that he was cute. So I asked around and the bike mender and the shoe man said he didn't belong to anyone so I took him because he was too lovely to just leave. The second dog I picked up. It could have been my tenth. They get offered to me like old shoes. Something free, something someone else doesn't want, doesn't need, doesn't love. Mostly, I can turn away. but not for Bob bob at the beginning of the year and not for this little scufty unloved thing. We all three walked ... read more

Hi friends - so sorry for the weird font and multiple notifications from the last entry. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again! Well I haven't really done anything too exciting, but I thought it was time for an update. So here is a fun look into a day in the life of Amy in China. Wake up. Immediately prepare for a day of continued battle against the mosquitoes. Care for the many existing bites, which keep popping up despite the unhealthy amount of repellent covering every square inch of my skin and the various contraptions in my room constantly omitting odors that will surely provide my future children with birth defects. "Benben wenzi" is probably the first phrase I learned after I got here (stupid mosquitoes!) Water pressure is a trickle on a good day, ... read more

After a full recovery from our three nights in Nanjing we made our way to Suzhou for a few nights. Suzhou is known as the 'Garden State' in China and our hostel was located in the historic part of Suzhou and was a maze of canals, small teahouses, eateries and walled gardens. Suzhou was a lot smaller than most of the big cities we had been to so far and it was really refreshening to sit back beside the canal without any hustle or bustle. The only downside of Suzhou was the heat. It was so hot, approaching the 40's with near unbearable humidity making it almost impossible to go out during the afternoon - or the morning or evening for that matter. While gathering information on what to do in Suzhou we came across a ... read more