Shanghai and Suzhou
Suzhou
Our next stop was Suzhou, a city famous for its gardens and canals. In fact, this city is often referred to as “The Venice of the East”, although I am not so sure about that one It poured rain for a good part of the day, so our explorations were a bit limited. When we did get out, we checked out the famous gardens, and at night we attended a cultural show in the Master Of The Nets Garden. We made one out-of-town excursion (hoping to hit on a success like the Xidi and Shaoxing excursions) but this one was a big dud. Oh well.
Shanghai
Shanghai was great!! We had three days here, and had a fantastic hotel location, right on the main street, Nanjing Donglu. (Of course, our rooms were infested with cockroaches, but we lived through it). Some of my favorite activities in Shanghai included:
• strolling along the Bund with its art deco architecture
• exploring the busy bazaars and neighborhood backstreets,
• catching a performance of the famous Shanghai Acrobats
• visiting the Shanghai Museum, renowned as one of the best in China
Our next stop was Suzhou, a city famous for its gardens and canals. In fact, this city is often referred to as “The Venice of the East”, although I am not so sure about that one It poured rain for a good part of the day, so our explorations were a bit limited. When we did get out, we checked out the famous gardens, and at night we attended a cultural show in the Master Of The Nets Garden. We made one out-of-town excursion (hoping to hit on a success like the Xidi and Shaoxing excursions) but this one was a big dud. Oh well.
We traveled past lakes and a network of waterways as we head
to Suzhou (approximately 1.5
hours), a city famous for its gardens. This is a great place to take to the
streets on a bicycle, dropping in on the beautiful gardens as you go. Cycling
down the lanes next to the canals is a delight and a great way to see the real China.
In the evening we attended a cultural show in the Master Of The Nets Garden
(seasonal), an ideal opportunity to learn about the cultural side of China.
In the evening of Day 17, we board our overnight train bound for Xi'an
(approximately 16 hours).
Shanghai
Shanghai was great!! We had three days here, and had a fantastic hotel location, right on the main street, Nanjing Donglu. (Of course, our rooms were infested with cockroaches, but we lived through it). Some of my favorite activities in Shanghai included:
• strolling along the Bund with its art deco architecture
• exploring the busy bazaars and neighborhood backstreets,
• catching a performance of the famous Shanghai Acrobats
• visiting the Shanghai Museum, renowned as one of the best in China