Suzhou Day Trip

It may come as a surprise considering that I've been in China for almost 7 months, but today was the second time that I have ventured outside of Shanghai to see the country. Today's jaunt took us to the nearby city of Suzhou (Jiangsu province), which has about 2.7 million people. One of the things Suzhou is famous for is "The Humble Administrator's Garden," which epitomizes a Southern Chinese Garden. The garden is huge, with bridges connecting little houses that were built throughout the pond area, and we walked around the paths seeing various rock art and garden designs. Afterwards, Alison and I went into the city where the main shopping street is so that we could sample local food, see temples, and pay a visit to the local KFC for coffee.

To end our day trip, we took at taxi over to Tiger Hill to see the water canals and the Pagoda. This was my favorite part of the excursion to Suzhou. Making our way to the hilltop, we wandered the multitude of pathways that led to ancient tea houses,  courtyards, and huts overlooking the valley below. Upon reaching the summit of Tiger Hill (as if it was a grueling hike), the "Leaning Tower of Tiger Hill" awaited us in all its Buddhist-Pagoda glory.

Taking a day to travel to another nearby city was well worth the time and 200 RMB. On the short train ride over there, additionally, I learned more about Chinese culture from Alison--my co-worker （同事）, Chinese teacher, tour-guide extraordinaire, and friend （朋友）。It was a great time and I look forward to taking my longer trips throughout China this March and April.