Blogs from Suzhou, Jiangsu, China, Asia - page 16

24 December, 2008. We’ve been in China for nearly 5 months now and sometimes, it is made up of tiny exquisite red paper cuts, or the heavy fragrant scent from yellow plum blossom and at other times it’s made up of walking in pedestrian areas down the lanes, struggling against bikes, motor bikes, mopeds and people and dogs then trying to cross the huge road at the end of the lanes where no one adheres to a red light and you have to take your life in your own hands to get across. There are no rules. One day, you can see a man on the outside of the 35th floor of a building with his safety rope swinging freely across his back - without fear. He seems not to notice the world below or care ... read more

Okay, so the British are responsible enough to know that you just don’t go out a buy a dog on a whim. That to have a dog means that you need to dedicate time, energy, commitment, love, care and money to it and for an EXTENDED period of time. And, that if you’re in a foreign country and not knowing exactly what you will be doing in the next 6 months or year, then to buy a dog is a very stupid idea. This being fully understood, we went to the animal market to buy the cat that I had eyed up a couple of times during the week. A sad white cat that cried and cried with its arms out of the cage to catch any love that may walk by. Excitedly, Chris, Cathy (from ... read more

Day One: After landing in Shanghai in the afternoon, we took a two hour bus ride to the city of Suzhou. It is considered "the Venice of the Orient" because the city is built along canals and has many beautiful bridges. On the drive to Suzhou, we sat in the front seats of the bus...a very scary place to be! First of all, the traffic in Shanghai is terrible! Also, cars, bikes, motorcycles and pedestrians all just dart out in front of our bus without looking or stopping! In fact, at a toll booth, another bus edged his way in front of ours, so our driver, not backing down, just created his own lane. He proceeded to drive ahead and then cut in front of many other cars. The cars were literally just an inch (maybe ... read more

My first week in China has been a whirlwind of activity so I am finally taking a much-needed rest in the beautiful city of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. I arrived here a few days ago after having visited Hangzhou and Shanghai, the latter being my port of arrival from Los Angeles. Suzhou is the Venice of China. The city has winding streets alternating with canals that are crossed by numerous pedestrian and vehicular bridges. Boats float lazily along the canal waters, providing a pleasant contrast to the busy streets. The city is dotted with many gardens, the most famous of which is the Humble Administrator's Garden, where I spent most of the day yesterday. This garden covers about twelve acres and consists of graceful pavilions set among rock-lined ponds and rolling landscapes. The garden was originally built ... read more

Hi everyone, Today Jeff and I went to a town call Sozhou. I thought we were going to a small town the size of Yafo but it ended up being a small town of 5 million people. It was very intersting and I have uploaded pictures to give you a feel of the area! enjoy.. ... read more