Citizen of Everywhere. : Day trips: Suzhou and Hangzhou

Although I did not make the pilgrimage to Beijing during Golden Week, the girls and I were still able to make two day trips to the nearby cities Suzhou and Hangzhou.

Suzhou is on the lower end of the Yangtze River and has a series of canals throughout the city which has given it the reputation as the "Venice of the East". We coincidentally met some French girls there from our program there and decided to spend the day together. Our tourist activities included: a climb up the North Temple Pagoda, a boat ride along the moat surrounding the city, a visit to the Humble Administrator's Garden, and a walk down Ping Jiang Rd in the old town. Overall, I humbly found Suzhou to be nothing extraordinary but I found the day trip with the girls very nice and must say my favorite part was walking Ping Jiang in the old town and having dinner along the canal.

North Pagoda Temple

The Humble Administrator's Garden

In China, you hold hands with your best gal pals

On Friday, we went headed to Hangzhou which is known for its West Lake and Lingyin Temple, also known as the Temple of the Soul's Retreat. First we went to the temple and I finally got to see something which has been on my "must-see while in China" list: Buddhist grottoes! At Lingyin there are over 300 Buddha statues carved into the surrounding rock landscape. It.was.amazing. You could go through caves, climb up rocks, and take tons of pictures like a shameless Chinese tourist. After admiring the numerous rock carvings we entered the temple…and this is what I call a temple! Nothing like Jing'an in Shanghai. There were 4 or five halls each with a giant Buddha and other scary statue figures (maybe if I understood their meaning I wouldn't be so alarmed, but they definitely look like you wouldn't want to mess with them). After the temple we head back towards the city center and went for a boat ride on the West Lake. The West Lake was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011 and has influenced many poets and painters over time for its natural beauty. While on the boat ride, I could understand the Chinese appreciation for natural beauty, harmony, and tranquility. It was a most peaceful boat ride (even managed to put Anne to sleep!) We got off at a small island, made a quick walk around (took all about 20 minutes) and headed to the other side. We ended the day by walking down the main Hefang Street where we had a nice Chinese dinner. You know, I think we are getting better and better on knowing what to order because it was delicious! I think we spent a whopping 20 euros for the whole day.