Blogs from Suzhou, Jiangsu, China, Asia - page 13

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Asia » China » Jiangsu » Suzhou May 20th 2009

My life is a work in progress. If I think it is on track, someone or something else changes it. If I am trackless, a route appears. We live and learn. I find myself in the coins in his collection, in the bells around Lao Wang’s dog’s necks, in the mirror in Cai Gen Lin’s shop, in Song Song’s bed, in the opening of a door to a new home, in the reflected rainbows across the walls from the ancient crystals that Mr Beddoes gave me over 15 years ago, in the polaroids of friends, in the lanes, by the wells, on the back of your bike when you came looking for me, and in lost unstoppable flashbacks. Everyday, I find a little more of myself - gently piecing together the person I am becoming. There ... read more
Mei Ling offering me the best in the pot
rain on black tiles
Johnny Stilettoesque

Asia » China » Jiangsu » Suzhou May 18th 2009

On Saturday, 5-16, we took a tour of the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou, one of the top four gardens in China. The azaleas were finished blooming, and the Lotus hadn't started yet, but it was still very beautiful! We had a guide named Danny who was fantastic. He spoke very good English and made everything very entertaining, not just dry facts. The Gardens are 500 years old and cover almost 13 acres. The four main elements of an ancient Chinese garden are the water, rocks, plants and buildings, and this garden had plenty of them all! He started the tour by explaining that Chinese painters were the ones who designed the ancient gardens, so he said to pretend we were walking through a 3-D painting! What a neat idea!... read more
Distant Temple
Suzhou 139
Suzhou 140

Asia » China » Jiangsu » Suzhou May 18th 2009

On 5-16, after our tour of the Humble Administrator's Garden, we had lunch and then toured a silk factory. We had lunch at the Happy Hotel. It wasn't as high class as the other Chinese Restaurants we've been to, but it was good. I showed the guide my gluten free paper and he did a great job taking over and figuring out what Leah and I could eat. They only had chopsticks - and one of the things we ordered was rice noodles. We're all doing good picking up chunks of meat and veggies with chopsticks (especially Leah), but eating slippery noodles is a whole different story! We made quite a mess trying to serve ourselves, and eventually the others, including the driver, took turns serving us. After lunch, we went to the No.1 Silk Factory. ... read more
lunch
The Happy Hotel
Outside of Silk Factory

Asia » China » Jiangsu » Suzhou May 12th 2009

Well it has been a busy busy busy times indeed! Starting with the MIDI music festival on the May day long weekend!One of the best days I've ever had! Imagine Perfect weather, great music, awesome company and all the trappings you'd expect from a real music festival with none of the usual trappings such as over zealous police with sniffer dogs, drunken idiots starting brawls and deaths in the mosh pit!It was exactly how a music festival should be, exactly how I imagine they would have been in the 70's. Sitting in a field, surrounded my mountains, being mellow and having a bloody good time. And....all for under $50. I love the way everything is simple and stress free here. I mean in 15 years it will be expensive, westernised bullshit, but I'm wondering right now ... read more

Asia » China » Jiangsu » Suzhou May 12th 2009

So it all started on Tuesday. After taking several AFD's and catching up on sleep after MIDI I was feeling social and ready to play again! Fortunately, given I had no classes on Tuesday afternoon I managed to escape my office. Unfortunately, none of my new friends shared my luck. Given it was going to be a quite afternoon I decided to head into The Bookworm, with of course a good book and enjoy the afternoon sun. It was glorious and I should also mention at this point that the weather in Suzhou right now is amazing. Perfect Spring weather, not yet hot enough to burn but just pleasant for sitting in the sun and soaking it up! It was probably good to start the week quitely, and I'm sure the extra AFD didn't hurt either. ... read more
Mai and I at MIDI
the end
the stage

Asia » China » Jiangsu » Suzhou May 11th 2009

Down by the river, every day, between 5.30am and 6.30am, there is a dog party in the shade under the Magnolia trees. Here is where I met Tina for the second time. There is also a gramps and his granddaughter, walking in single file, each holding one end of a long stick with a hook on which I find later is to collect plastic bottles from far flung places for recycling. There are also joggers and people exercising. Here also, under the 6 laned road bridge and the gathering pollution, the Kung Fu group is well under way by 6am practicing in the shade. A woman stretches, perfectly balanced on one leg with her other foot somewhere under it's opposite armpit for an unbelievable 3 minutes. The microphone, amp and speakers are cranked up, the instructor ... read more
I made him hold my hand
Talicia - a shiney button
last picture he took of

Asia » China » Jiangsu » Suzhou April 29th 2009

29 April Winter Yesterday, i gave him a gift. he sat by me, turned the old clay bowl around in his hands and explained the blue characters written around winter telling a list but also expressing a feeling - early sunrise, go, look, willow, evening, down, cloudy, ask, smoke, rest, nothing, money, go, red sunrise. and the air was calm and i felt close to him but only looked and didn't touch. i didn't want to touch, just wired in and pleased to know that I could still feel this way again was enough. now, he isn’t here. I sit outside enjoying the breeze and the sunshine thinking about the house that I have just found down the lane - a beautiful space, untouched for years, falling into itself. I cannot understand what it was, what ... read more
the hen run
falling
dust

Asia » China » Jiangsu » Suzhou April 26th 2009

Today Maggie took me to Luzhi to visit the old town and to see her shop. It was a really lovely girls day out with some very funny, quiet, cute and acutely aware moments. Luzhi is a small water town which is still in Suzhou but takes about 40minutes to get there. Maggie picked me up in her large Chevrolet - the second time I’ve been driven in a car in 9 months. Luzhi is like Tongli but more real with more people living in the old part and less tourist attractions so I liked it. I don't like the water in and around the town. Not only is it heavily polluted and it’s an ugly green colour but it’s also full of rubbish on the outskirts of the town. It’s such a shame because if ... read more
my little red jade bead the size of a pea
the walls papered in newspaper then overpapered in brown
snake wine

Asia » China » Jiangsu » Suzhou April 15th 2009

Now I know I said that I was going out for a quite one last Wednesday, but ahh...please someone tell me the last time I said that and it actually happened. Hmmm...I think never. It's kind of like all the times in Japan when I was just going out for one or two. Or the times in Australia when I was going to drive home but ended up leaving my car there. Or the times I was going to catch the last train / bus / whatever but ended up staying till the first train? bus / whatever in various places. Yep a quite drink is just not in my nature. On the upside I am becoming so accustomed to late night boozing that I am now able to roll out of bed and attend work ... read more

Asia » China » Jiangsu » Suzhou April 8th 2009

Stories from my weekend are enough to cover it this week so here goes, it all started on Friday afternoon when I was invited to a grade seven class party to celebrate growing up. This was lovely. Kids got up and showed their artwork, sang songs, read their writing, played musical instruments and performed comedy skits. So nice to be in a place where achievements go beyond those of the sporting variety! These people actually value culture and try to impress that on their youth, rather than that other thing we do at home where if your good at sport it doesn't actually matter that you can't read! Anyway, don't get me started on that one! This was all good and well except that I had to be somewhere that wasn't close by so attending the ... read more




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