Our second day in
Suzhou was as glorious as the first. It began with a beautiful semi-clear blue-sky. It was a good temperature outside and I was ready for an adventure. My wish was granted as I began to get ready for the day.
I’ve never had to use a co-ed bathroom before. I gotta say that walking in to use the restroom that morning and having to walk past two very attractive guys on the way was….. kind of awkward haha I gotta admit I almost couldn’t do it. But alas I am always ready for a challenge so I ventured forth and managed not to be completely embarrassed. After that experience I think I’m pretty capable of doing anything haha.
Once everyone was ready we headed out into the streets in search of on of the most important things: FOOD! It was breakfast time and we were hungry! Everywhere we travel there is one thing we can always turn to in times of need and that is our yummy street food.
Without fail we can always find it on a street corner or in a night market; delicious, fried, and most importantly cheap.
There weren’t many vendors out but we did find countless fruit stands with both the normal and the abnormal. I got to try a yummy red spiky fruit that was a little odd on the outside but super delicious.
We ended up stopping at a delicious bakery called Café 85. Some of the baked goods are a little odd, but most are delicious! They have donuts and muffins and brownies, some high-priced pb&j’s, sweet pizzas, garlic bread and numerous other yummy delights. You can find them pretty much everywhere in China, but this was my first time buying something.
After breakfast we hopped on a bus and rode up to the Suzhou Silk Museum. Suzhou and Hangzhou are famous for being the silk cities of China.
Going through the museum we got to seethe history of silk production in China as well as women using the old looms and live silk-worms being tended. It was a cool little museum and well worth the time to explore.
After we finished we walked down the road and explored various shops until reaching the Beisi Ta, an old temple pagoda. We walked around the outside and admired the beautiful architecture and the many people crowding around the food vendors. After grabbing a bite to eat we continued our trek and ended up inside a small fan shop.
We spotted it by accident as we were walking down the road. There was a man inside the window painting at a bench. As we got closer we realized that he was hand painting paper fans. The art was fantastic. There were Chinese characters on some, flowers on others, and even some with large landscapes. We couldn’t resist the pull of those pretty fans. After perusing the shop for what seemed like forever, almost every one of us had picked the ones we wanted. We could see the man’s wife armed and ready with her calculator in hand, prepared to try and get as much money out of us as she could.
She was a tough one though and didn’t want to budge much, however after some deliberations I got two beautiful fans as well as wooden stands for them for 65 yuan. A pretty decent deal. The best buy though was Dayna who managed to get one of the larger fans for 85 yuan. It is a gorgeous masterpiece and I gotta say… I’m a little jealous haha.
A short walk down the street from the fan shop was one of our favorite things to see: a pedestrianized shopping street. They’re havens of haggling and hidden treasures. You can find all sorts of cool stuff for excellent prices if you have a good eye and you’re ready to bargain hard. We wandered through the stalls and shops in search of cool items to buy. 
Halfway down the street I found a stand where a man was doing calligraphy. You could write down your name in English and they would write it in Chinese characters on a scroll along with the date and your name in English letters. Ya you guessed it… I got one! Haha it was a super cool find. I also got a couple as gifts for some unnamed recipients ;)
After stopping back at the hostel to drop stuff off, we went out to see one of the many gardens in the city. Along with its many canals, Suzhou is famous for being a city of gardens. The most famous is the Humble Administrator’s Garden. However, as a group we decided to go see one of the smaller gardens in the city: the Couple’s Retreat Garden.
To get back to the garden entrance we had to walk through many of the small tight streets where the locals live. We saw men playing card games on tables and women washing their clothes in the canal.
It was very…real. Every time I get glimpses of how a lot of these people still live, I’m just amazed.
Not only does it make me appreciate more fully all the things I've been blessed with (I’ll never take my washing machine and dryer for granted again) but I also gain so much respect for these people.
The garden was beautiful. It was definitely a maze, we got turned around more than once and almost went out the exit before we meant to. There was a pretty little lake in the middle, and unlike most gardens there was a small part where you could actually climb up one of the rockeries. It was a nice little oasis in the middle of the city. Up on top of some of the rocks there was a stone table and chairs where we sat and just took a moment to relax and enjoy the peace. I love walking in the gardens and just imagining what it must have been like back when it was first constructed.
Walking along the winding paths as a warm breeze blows swirling cherry blossoms…..yeah ok I’ll admit I’m a little dramatic, but hey I like it that way ;)
Finishing at the garden meant it was time to track down some dinner. Sadly, there were not a lot of street vendors to buy food from as it got later. We wandered up and down the streets for a little while hoping to find a hidden street market but unfortunately we had no such luck.. Eventually we ended up stopping back at Café 85 and eating some of their more dinner food they have. As night came so did the street performers once again. This time we came across a guy singing down by the docks where we had rented the boat the day before. Unfortunately before we got to listen to him for long a policeman on a bike came through and made him move. Honestly, that was probably the first time I’d ever seen a policeman doing anything since I’ve been here. Before heading home we stopped by our beloved GoMax one last time to say goodbye.
Our hostel is down a side alley off of the main road, and if you go a little further back into that alley you’ll find a music bar. I didn’t feel like going home quite yet so I convinced a couple girls to go check it out with me. So Rachelle, Kelli, and I went to explore. After peeking inside through the window, Rachelle decided she didn’t want to go in so she left. Kelli and I however, decided to go inside and see if we could find a place to sit and listen to the music. The girl on stage was singing English music which was super cool. Her voice was beautiful and she had a really good accent. We would have loved to listen to her more, but the bar was really crowded so we decided not to stay. We sat outside on some nearby tables for a bit, and then headed up the fire escape to our floor of the hostel.
When we got back I didn’t feel like getting ready for bed quite yet so I grabbed Kelli and the two of us went out onto the roof and up onto the taller landing where we clambered out around the fence and sat on the edge dangling our legs in the open air, enjoying the view of the city. We sat there for nearly an hour just talking. I didn’t know much about Kelli before that night, but we definitely had a bonding moment haha I told her how I had thought she was kind of stuck up when we first met at the airport to come out here, and she told me that she kind of thought I was a freak haha Oh how things can change.
The time came when we were done being eaten alive by mosquitoes so we headed back inside and got ready for bed so we could get some sleep before the crazy day to come. The next morning we rose bright and early to pack up all our stuff and check-out of our rooms.
We were all a little sad to go, but since Suzhou is so close to Changzhou we decided we’d definitely have to return another day. As we left the hostel I found a spot on the staircase walls to add my name and my own message alongside all the others. It felt so awesome to see that small little token showing me that I really am out here living my dreams of travelling.
We grabbed some breakfast from a street vendor, on the way to the bus stop. Mine consisted of a crepe-like shell cooked on an egg with salt and pepper. It was super yummy, probably my favorite of all the various egg things I’ve had (they really love their eggs out here). We took the bus up to the train station and then walked the sort distance to the coach bus station. Then it was just a short wait before we hopped on for our 3 hour ride to Hangzhou. We had a marvelous time in Suzhou and I really do love that city. It was small, but it had so many cool things to see. There may not have been a lot of touristy things to do, but just wandering the streets and seeing the people was the best experience I could have ever had. I love seeing all the cool things, but all my favorite memories of the places I’ve seen are the people I’ve met, and the things I’ve been able to experience with them. Being in Suzhou gave me a small glimpse into the real China and all its beauty.
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