lizzybennet (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lizzybennet) wrote2006-08-25 02:15 pm
lizzybennet) wrote2006-08-25 02:15 pm
Day 1, Tuesday.
(sidenote: I'm attmepting to journal our little trip earlier this week. I'll make seperate entries for each day and each entry will be behind cuts since they will be so long and full of photos. Thank you for your cooperation.)
We took the 1:30 train from Nanjing to Suzhoe. I've decided that I prefer train travel over every other mode of transportation. It's comfortable, there is room to move about and I don't get motion sickness -- a definite plus. The ride only last about 1.5 hours. Once we arrived at Suzhoe, we were immediately accosted by old women selling maps, a man promising to find us a taxi, and beggars. It was very overwhelming to have people all around us vying for our money while we were trying to navigate through the crowd and hold on to the kids. We had no need for the man's "services" as the train station simply has a line to stand in to get a taxi. He's just looking for some foreign suckers to make a quick buck off of. Usually, when these people realize Chris can speak Chinese, they back off. However, some of them become more aggressive because they can communicate more fluently.
Our hotel was a beautiful four star, the Bamboo Grove. Still for a hotel with marble floors and complimentary slippers in the closets, it was less money than a Motel 6 back home. After we got settled in we set out to find some dinner. We were looking for some Western food. I know, you probably think we don't eat near enough Chinese food, but the truth is that Zack and Connor refuse to eat anything more than rice. It just doesn't seem fair to starve them when there is food available that they'll eat. We ended up at a local pizza place. We ordered two small pizzas, spagetti, chicken nuggets and french bread all for the grand total of $12. After our delicious dinner (it was soooo good.) we strolled through the streets looking at shops. We found one that sold some antique wood carvings that Chris was really interested in, but they wouldn't go low enough on the price. Chris drives a hard bargain, whereas I have no idea what is too much. I always think to myself "that sounds like a fair deal." Then Chris will come up and find out how much I agreed to pay and tell the salesperson "forget it! That's way too much. You're taking advantage of my wife!" Anyway, we didn't buy the carvings but did end up finding a treasure the next day (more on that later.)
Next we caught a couple of pedicabs. Chris had made plans for the evening, but he didn't tell us what they were. He was being very secretive. Of course, when he tells the pedicab drivers where to take us, I can't understand what he says so I just have to trust. The next thing I know, we are being driven down a very narrow, run down alley. The pedicab drivers stop in a deserted courtyard. Zack says "We're in the middle of nowhere!" I second that motion. Turns out we were there to see a show in the Master of Nets garden, but it hadn't opened yet. The pedicab drivers assure us that it opens at 6:30, which was less than a half hour away. We decided to just hang around until it started.
The deserted alleyway
In reality, it didn't start until 7:30 and we had to kill an hour and half in the "middle of nowhere." It ended up ok though, because some neighborhood kids came up and started playing with the boys. One of them was older, like 13 and he had learned some english in school. He kept listening intentely to Petey, trying to decipher what he was saying. Finally he came up to Chris and told him that he couldn't understand a word Petey was saying, lol! Petey speaks pretty quickly, and he still has the not-fully developed speech of a five year old.
The show inside the gardens was very entertaining, but quickly turned into a stressful ordeal. It seems that there are many more westerners in Suzhou than there are in Nanjing. At this show, there were probably 20 non-Chinese. None of them had kids. Most of them were European. Apparently, older Europeans have little-to-no patience for children. I suppose I've quickly become accostumed to how the Chinese love my kids no matter what. Whatever my kids do, no matter how rascally, it draws smiles and praise from most Chinese passerbys. Yeah, not so once I'm back amongst westerners. During one performance, the lady next to me shushed Petey. Meanwhile, the Chinese woman whose doing the actual performing kept smiling at him everytime he spoke up. And it's not like he was even being all that loud. Later, another European lady said loudly "Can you please move out of the way!" Chris shot back at her "Excuse me, but can you please wait? If you haven't noticed we are dealing with three kids here!" Yay for Chris for sticking up for us. Still, I was mortified and we decided to leave the show early. By then the kids were exhausted and we really needed to get back to the hotel room and off to bed.
The dancer who smiled at Petey
This harp player was so very talented. Chris and I both agree that she belongs in a concert hall instead of a second rate show at an off-the-beaten-path garden. She really got into her music, almost like some sort of rock star. We hung around to speak with her after she finished and it turns out that she's been playing for 11 years.
I know this is difficult to see, but we were sitting across the pond from a man playing the flute. It was very beautiful, with the moonlight and gardens. However, it was difficult to enjoy because the boys kept trying to run off. Rascals!
After the kids fell asleep, Chris and I watched "Ms. Congeniality 2" on HBO. Not something we'd normally watch, but it was nice to see a movie in English again.
We took the 1:30 train from Nanjing to Suzhoe. I've decided that I prefer train travel over every other mode of transportation. It's comfortable, there is room to move about and I don't get motion sickness -- a definite plus. The ride only last about 1.5 hours. Once we arrived at Suzhoe, we were immediately accosted by old women selling maps, a man promising to find us a taxi, and beggars. It was very overwhelming to have people all around us vying for our money while we were trying to navigate through the crowd and hold on to the kids. We had no need for the man's "services" as the train station simply has a line to stand in to get a taxi. He's just looking for some foreign suckers to make a quick buck off of. Usually, when these people realize Chris can speak Chinese, they back off. However, some of them become more aggressive because they can communicate more fluently.
Our hotel was a beautiful four star, the Bamboo Grove. Still for a hotel with marble floors and complimentary slippers in the closets, it was less money than a Motel 6 back home. After we got settled in we set out to find some dinner. We were looking for some Western food. I know, you probably think we don't eat near enough Chinese food, but the truth is that Zack and Connor refuse to eat anything more than rice. It just doesn't seem fair to starve them when there is food available that they'll eat. We ended up at a local pizza place. We ordered two small pizzas, spagetti, chicken nuggets and french bread all for the grand total of $12. After our delicious dinner (it was soooo good.) we strolled through the streets looking at shops. We found one that sold some antique wood carvings that Chris was really interested in, but they wouldn't go low enough on the price. Chris drives a hard bargain, whereas I have no idea what is too much. I always think to myself "that sounds like a fair deal." Then Chris will come up and find out how much I agreed to pay and tell the salesperson "forget it! That's way too much. You're taking advantage of my wife!" Anyway, we didn't buy the carvings but did end up finding a treasure the next day (more on that later.)
Next we caught a couple of pedicabs. Chris had made plans for the evening, but he didn't tell us what they were. He was being very secretive. Of course, when he tells the pedicab drivers where to take us, I can't understand what he says so I just have to trust. The next thing I know, we are being driven down a very narrow, run down alley. The pedicab drivers stop in a deserted courtyard. Zack says "We're in the middle of nowhere!" I second that motion. Turns out we were there to see a show in the Master of Nets garden, but it hadn't opened yet. The pedicab drivers assure us that it opens at 6:30, which was less than a half hour away. We decided to just hang around until it started.
The deserted alleyway
In reality, it didn't start until 7:30 and we had to kill an hour and half in the "middle of nowhere." It ended up ok though, because some neighborhood kids came up and started playing with the boys. One of them was older, like 13 and he had learned some english in school. He kept listening intentely to Petey, trying to decipher what he was saying. Finally he came up to Chris and told him that he couldn't understand a word Petey was saying, lol! Petey speaks pretty quickly, and he still has the not-fully developed speech of a five year old.
The show inside the gardens was very entertaining, but quickly turned into a stressful ordeal. It seems that there are many more westerners in Suzhou than there are in Nanjing. At this show, there were probably 20 non-Chinese. None of them had kids. Most of them were European. Apparently, older Europeans have little-to-no patience for children. I suppose I've quickly become accostumed to how the Chinese love my kids no matter what. Whatever my kids do, no matter how rascally, it draws smiles and praise from most Chinese passerbys. Yeah, not so once I'm back amongst westerners. During one performance, the lady next to me shushed Petey. Meanwhile, the Chinese woman whose doing the actual performing kept smiling at him everytime he spoke up. And it's not like he was even being all that loud. Later, another European lady said loudly "Can you please move out of the way!" Chris shot back at her "Excuse me, but can you please wait? If you haven't noticed we are dealing with three kids here!" Yay for Chris for sticking up for us. Still, I was mortified and we decided to leave the show early. By then the kids were exhausted and we really needed to get back to the hotel room and off to bed.
The dancer who smiled at Petey
This harp player was so very talented. Chris and I both agree that she belongs in a concert hall instead of a second rate show at an off-the-beaten-path garden. She really got into her music, almost like some sort of rock star. We hung around to speak with her after she finished and it turns out that she's been playing for 11 years.
I know this is difficult to see, but we were sitting across the pond from a man playing the flute. It was very beautiful, with the moonlight and gardens. However, it was difficult to enjoy because the boys kept trying to run off. Rascals!
After the kids fell asleep, Chris and I watched "Ms. Congeniality 2" on HBO. Not something we'd normally watch, but it was nice to see a movie in English again.
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(Anonymous) 2006-08-25 08:09 am (UTC)(link)In my experience it's just the British. Whenever we go out of the country the kids get doted on. (Okay we've only taken them to France and Portugal.)
The photos look wonderful.
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The harp player looks so happy showing off her harp. I'm so glad that you are having these adventures and that Chris is standing up for his family. He's my hero today!
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