Where did 'SuZhou' this weekend?

Some friends and I decided to travel to a nearby city called Suzhou (pronounced 'Sue joe') for the weekend. It is one of the oldest cities in the Yangzi basin and is famous for its gardens and silk production. Being only a 1 hour bus ride from Jiaxing, it was an easy adventure to embark on.

NORTH TEMPLE PAGODA. This is the tallest pagoda south of the Yangzi. It was good exercise climbing the stairs to the top and well worth it for the fantastic view of the city.




Everyone once in a while, you could catch a glimpse of a monk walking around. From what I understand, they live on the grounds.


HUMBLE ADMINISTRATOR'S GARDEN. We also took a stroll through Humble Administrator's Garden, the largest and what many consider the most impressive garden. Among the blooming flowers, flowing streams, and luxurious greenery...all sounds great so far, right?...were millions of people. Ai, Ai, Ai! The highlight of the trip to this garden was some birds. I was always taught that animals only speak in English. Well, I was lied to because these birds spoke ****ing Chinese! You must confess to your children that animals can be multi-lingual. It brought a smile to my face hearing them say things like nihao and zaijian.











SUZHOU SILK MUSEM. I mentioned above that Suzhou is famous for its silk production. In order to gain a better understanding of the process, we visited the local silk museum. I acted like a silk work farmer. It was pretty sweet and made me feel like a scientist again. We also watched individual silk strands being made into products (like scarves) via machine and two women. Below is a photo of the old fashioned machine. It was quite fascinating watching the women manipulate the silk and the machine to produce beautifully designed products.




FUNNY THINGS. First, you never know what to expect when you walk into a bathroom. Folks- I can finally say I have peed in a trough. It is a good experience, even despite the occasional brown mass that floats by.


This was posted in the bathroom. That's right, you don't want to landslide into that trough.


Here are couple ads found in the window of a restaurant. I suspect these were meant to entice people to eat there.



Suzhou is often referred to as one of the most beautiful cities in China and I would be inclined to agree, if it were not for all the damn people! I had a great time with my friends, but I have to admit that I was excited to return to Jiaxing. Jiaxing is relatively small and does not attract tourists and in my opinion, is just as beautiful. However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you think being with millions of people is beautiful then visit Suzhou- you'll love it!

Good times.