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23-24 October
Nanjing to Suzhou
Unfortunately the rain set in so our trip to the Purple mountain (Mount Zijin) was rather wet and bleary. After a late breakfast, at McDonald's I'm ashamed to say, we attempted to get a bus out there but when more than half an hour's wait went by and we were pushed off the bus that did arrive, we settled for a taxi. Sun Yat-sen's mausoleum is set at the end of a long avenue of trees at the top of 392 steps and 10 terraces. The roof and gates are blue glazed tile. It's a battle to see his tomb, which contains his actual body. It's a small circular room around which thousands of Chinese crowd daily. It's a slow moving procession of people like those who throng around Ho Chi Minh's resting place or for the fake resting places at the Taj Mahal. The gardens are lush green and we also visted some other 'scenic spots' including the LingGu temple and various pagados and pavilions. The boys even climbed the nine stories of spiral stairs to the top of the pagoda - pity the view was not what it could have been with the rain.
Despite the long day of walking in the rain, we also managed to squeeze in the Tiaping Museum, getting quite lost within the labyrinth of various rooms and learning a little bit about the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and its eighteen years of glory at the end of the 19th century. The period is revered as a precursor to communism and for repelling the forces or imperialism and western powers but the museum's interpretations were rather light on the fact that these are what the "kingdom" was surpassed by in the end. The Confuscious Temple also received a quick visit before we headed back out to eat dinner in the night markets of Fuzimiao.
Sunday was an early start for China's version of the 'bullet train' to Suzhou. Actually it was a really nice ride, up to 333km/hr, 1hr 30mins, and there were clean western toilets! Raining again in Suzhou so we gave some of their famous gardens a miss and just did the North Pagoda, feeding the coyfish at the 'Life releasing pond' and wandering down the cobbled streets in front of the Humble Administrator's Garden and the Suzhou museum (designed by I M Pei - although personally I think he did a better job on the glass pyramid at the Louvre). We wandered along the Lindun Rd - beside the canals - where you catch glimpes into people's tiny shops/homes and gondaliers on their boats. We wound up at the Temple of Mystery, marvelling at the enormous candles, incencse sticks two feet high, an odd assortment of buddha statues and a bull statue with a unicorn horn and a bow on its head. The area around the temple is thronging with stalls, markets, shops and people selling all manner of souvenirs.
Chris and I found a great little alley with street food and the closet thing we've been able to find sausage, bacon and egg roll cooked on a searing hot plate - will definitely be coming back for breakfast! Got lost trying to find out hotel but managed to scab internet from another hotel that we stumbled past. Seems everyone is finding this city harder than others to navigate because the street maps don't list most of the streets that you actually walk! It's always fun trying to match Chinese characters on a map to street signs. I feel like a kid playing snap or memory.
October 25
Suzhou to Hangzhou
We left Suzhou in the rain again for the bus to Hangzhou. Our breakfast run was to no avail as the street stalls didn't open that early in the morning but we found some other rotti/omlette type substitute which was still pretty good. Hangzhou I found to be a much more picturesque city than Suzhou. It is situated on West Lake - one of the most reknowned and beautiful in China - with the surrounded shores not yet encroached with skyscrapers. Our afternoon was spent exploring the hundreds of buddhist rock carvings at Lingyin Temple. I would describe it as China's version of the Banyan temple at the Temples of Angkor in Cambodia - with buddha statues carved into and amongst the rocks, caves and waterfalls. Absolutely stunning. As was the Lingyin Temple itself with hundreds of sculptures of Arvats - people who have discovered who to stop the process of reincarnation and found nirvana but chosen reincarnation in order to teach others how to find nirvana. Each bronze figure reflects the life of the individual - with figures of small children if the person was good with kids, exaggeratedly long eyebrows if this was a dominant facial feature etc. That evening we spent wandering the street markets and ate some of the best, cheapest street food T've ever tasted - dumplings, BBQ pork, duck, local rice specialties - all for less than $4.00!
October 26
Hangzhou
The weather picked the perfect day to clear up so we actually had some blue skies and only a light breeze for our cycle around West Lake. Unfortunately the path right next to the lake is only for pedestrians (supposedly) so we had to try our luck along the main road at some parts - cyclings into head on traffic if need be. That was scary. But once we got onto the causeways that crossed the lake we had an easier time and only had to worry about not mowing other tourists down and not about being mowed down ourselves by a bus. Only problem with the foot traffic though is how oblivious people are to their surroundings. Not matter how much to ring the bell on your bike or shout a warning the Chinese remain completely unaware of your presence - except when we would try to duck onto the path by the lake itself - then the police definitely noticed us, even if they didn't appear to see the 30 or so other Chinese cyclists who just rode by their noses. Very frustrating.
We stopped off at various gardens and went for a wonder on foot around some of the jade bridges, miniature lakes, tea houses and carp ponds. Lots of bridal magazine shoots were happening that day so I have plenty of faux wedding snaps to add to the scenic shots. All that cycling for 3 hours earnt us a beer at our new "local" before heading out for dinner near our hostel for local duck, chilli beans, rice soup, eggplant and shredded potato. Our hostel was a rustic little establishment with two of the most gorgeous feline residents. Mrs Rabbit was a chocolate tipped Burman and Rose was a Scottish Fold so tiny she almost could fit entirely in the palm of my hand. Very difficult leaving those two behind.
October 27
Another bullet train brought us into Shanghai is just 45 mins at the cracking pace of 355km/hr. I instantly liked this city. The skyline in stunning with one side of the river boasted the Oriental Pearl tower (China's tallest structure), the Jin Mao tower (fifth tallest tower in the world) and the Shanghai World Financial Centre ("Bottle Opener") skycraper. The other side of the river is lined with old colonial and European style buildings which miraculously escaped being razed by Communism. We strolled along the river bank for a while going snap happy before turning off onto Fang Bang Road or Old Shanghai Road as it is known. Nothing old about it really since it is lit up with neon signs and tourist shops - although the buildings are supposedly old Chinese style. The back street however are fascinating with all their live seafood on display, fresh vegetables like cucumbers as round as a pumpkin is, even live ducks and chickens that will end up on someone's dinner plate before nightfall.
We have the next three nights here to explore the old and the new Shanghai and brave the heights of its towering skyscrapers - just need to find a good observation deck / bar to watch the city skyline lights come to life.
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