Suzhou

Away from the touristy streets of Pingyao the streets are empty, Suzhou is like how I imagined Pingyao to be. Suzhou is known as the Venice of the East. I've never been to Venice so wouldn't know how to compare. I've heard it stinks of raw sewage and is a bit overcrowded and gondolas are a rip off and it stinks of piss. I've also heard some good things about Venice. Anyway, Suzhou doesn't smell that bad even though they have freshly caught crabs, geese and dead baby chickens in the markets for sale next to live ones. I like the place. I try not to be a happy snapper but the city is so photogenic even on an overcast day. I've thoroughly enjoyed wandering about canals and their side streets and visiting the gardens. If I don't set up a business after my travelling I reckon I'll study landscaping, it's a topic I find infinitely interesting. One garden I went to was overly crowded but another two were very serene. 

The view from Nanjing train station.

 Rubble on a bridge isn't a problem, just drive around it.

 Chinese gardens are not about bombarding the senses but about mixing vegetation, water and rocks to create a harmonious balance. That's apparently the best way to make a garden, Confucius said so. I made up the last bit but I like adding that to a number of sentences thanks to my friend Per from Sweden who I met in Nanjing. Smoking is good for you, Confucius said so. Debate over.

The city as a whole has a nice balance between human habitation, water and greenery not just it's gardens, Confucius would have been proud. That's my impression anyway, away from the area popular with visitors it's probably a concrete jungle, a smelly concrete jungle.

I haven't been very social in Suzhou. I've kept myself to myself. I haven't got into much conversation with people selling things or curious passers by. The conversations I do have is very repetitive and it's difficult to break through in Chinese one the conversation veers away from the predictable. I'm a wee bit annoyed at this. I feel like a sightseer, not an explorer of Chinese culture. I'm missing out on so much because of the language barrier and this is a bit frustrating. I'm not that different from the middle aged american's with their socks pulled half way up their knees who jump from tour bus to sights, take a picture then jump back on the tour bus. The main difference is that I do things a bit slower, don't pay for buses and keep my socks at ankle height. My theory is that if you rush from sight to sight you miss out on authentic Chinese culture in between. But if I'm not interacting much in between then I'd be as well just hopping on and hopping off. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh on myself but I know that this is a fascinating part of the world and I'm only getting the tip of the iceberg.

The best garden I went to was the Tiger Hill. It has proportionately less pavilions and manicured areas and a lot more greenery than the other ones I've been to. I spent more than half a day here. I'm turning into my dad. I'm quite happy birdwatching all day. I blame those childhood holidays in the south of France for brainwashing me into the notion that hanging about doing not a lot to see little feathered creatures flap around all day is fun. I'm not normally bothered by Chinese people grabbing me and having a photo of me but I was really close to an Egret today and some guy just walked along, put his arm around me while his girlfriend took a photo scaring the bird away. From now on I'm charging 2 kuai a photo unless it's a child. If I'm going to be treated like a zoo animal I'm charging a fee just like any other zoo.

The baby birds are on the top left, everything but feathers is there.

Some things I like about Suzhou: -

* The dog of choice here is a Golden Labrador.

* The scenery. 

* The market.

* The red lanterns.

Here's what I don't like about Suzhou: -

* The lack of Chinglish, Nanjing had perfect English signs as well. It's not as fun

I've now been in China for 29 days. It feels like less.Today I told someone I've been in China for 23. Shanghai tomorrow unless my clothes aren't dried in which case I'll stay here another day. I'll just stay a night in shanghai a night or two in Hangzhou then go to Huangshan. Shanghai and Hangzhou are both big cities with lots of cars and Huangshan has a reputation for being permanently shrouded in mist. I reckon it will be at least another week before I see a horizon. That will be a month without seeing a horizon. The scenery in Huangshan will make up for it. Adios.