The crowd closed in around the street
vendor as he prepared another 6 orders of his fried treats. Lucie and
I tried our best to maneuver towards the front of the line but it was
very close quarters. Getting an appetizer for 5 yuan (about 75 cents)
was going to be challenging, but we were hungry and determined
tourists! Our appetite had woken by the various types of foods
cooking as we made our way down Pingjiang Road for our before dinner
stroll in Suzhou. The locals were out en mass, enjoying their
Saturday evening like us, dodging rickshaws, bicycles, and the
occasional scooter. It was lively and friendly, everyone sporting a
smile and a laugh.
Our day began with a flight from Xi'an
to Shanghai where we caught a bus for a one and a half hour journey
to Suzhou. It is known as the Venice of China because of the many
canals criss-crossing through the city, some of which date back to
the 6th century BC. As the silk capital of China, Suzhou
attracted many wealthy merchants, some of whom created some of the
most beautiful classical Chinese Gardens. Our first stop in this leg
of our journey is one such garden, the Liu Garden, featured in these
pictures.
This tasteful sign caught Lucie's eye
and my camera.
One of the highlights of the Liu Garden
visit was the walk through the Bonsai forest, pictured below.
The people of Suzhou often buy their
groceries right on the street from vendors such as the ones pictured
here.
Weddings in China are not religious
events but nevertheless are very important family milestones. While
walking through Suzhou I caught these brides getting their photos
made before their weddings.
Our afternoon in Suzhou was capped off
with a stroll along the canal next to Pingjiang Road, famous
throughout China. It was along here that our appetites peaked and we
indulged in a delicious treat along the way. The fried balls were
filled with a vegetable that was zucchini like, and the vendor
sprinkled a variety of spices and herbs on them before serving, mmm.
The canal was beautiful, with trees
draping down, gondolas with singing gondoliers, ancient bridges, and
buskers of every sort. Even a man doing his laundry was spotted.
Our walk had to end as dinner awaited.
Unfortunately, dinner was terrible tonight, it was a buffet with bony
fish and cold chicken, even the noodles were bad. After dinner we
headed to the Gusu Jin Jiang Tower hotel where we were very pleasantly surprised by a
gorgeous view from our room.
As it was still early, we decided to go
for a late evening walk. Just outside the hotel we found this group
of aerobic dancers, Danielle joined them for a bit and actually
showed real dancing style!
The walk, and the day, ended with
another new friend for Lucie. Tomorrow, we're off to Shanghai!
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