Shanhai to Suzhou
Arrived in Shanghai Saturday afternoon about 12:30 pm Shanghai time. Easy going into the daylight all the way.
Our Shanghai hotel is smack in the middle of a neighborhood with a big market right next door and assorted stores occupying the ground floor of each building. It's a busy, noisy place..we kept the windows open to enjoy the delightful air temperature. We all reacted to the heavy pollution and heat when we arrived and took an hour long van ride from Pudong airport to the hotel. Later, it cooled off, and we walked through densely packed neighborhoods to get to a restaurant where communcation was impossible. Richard tried valiantly to order food, and finally we got something we could eat. We didn't realize that some of the food we ordered (by picture and mislabeled English).was not cooked, and we were not inclined to test our systems' abilities to deal with that..
Up at 6 or so to eat breakfast and take a train to Suzhou. Chinese breakfast consisted of quite delicious dumplings, noodles, two vegetables
a thinbleful of sweet, delicious beverage resembling coffee.
Train to Suzhou thoroughly modern, fast, and easy to negotiate. Arrived about 1/2 hour after departure, having traveled about 300 mph. Hotel in
Day in Suzhou mainly surrounded going to one of the famous gardens that was within walking distance of the hotel. We had a guide whom we hired after he met us at the train station...George is the name he goes by for his tourists...a very well educated former teacher of English, and a delight.
We're all exhausted tonight..Lily, Suzie, and our traveling companions, Richard, Chris, and Anna, went to a show and to a fancy restaurant. I was too exhausted to go, so stayed back and slept, which is what's giving me the brief spate of energy to write this blog.
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