Day 2, Wednesday

[lizzybennet]

We debated back and forth for quite a while about what exactly to do with day two. I've quickly learned that no matter where we go, there is going to be something to see or do. In Suzhou, we had too many choices. Chris wanted to see the "old town" (sidenote: old towns are exactly that. Towns still built in the old fashion. The architecture and streets are centuries old. Perhaps not the actual materials, but the style, etc. These towns are very rich with history and culture, as well as many many tourist traps.) I wanted to make sure that we did something the kids would enjoy. In my opinion, it wasn't fair to the kids if we only did "grown up" stuff. In the end, we decided to do both. This made for a verrrrrrrrrrrry long day. I feel tired again just thinking about it, lol! But, we had so much fun and saw so much. It was an amazing day.

We started the day by hiring a driver and a car. The hotel helped us out with this. It was about $70 for the whole day. Not bad, but not exactly a steal either. First we went to my choice: the cave. I had researched the area, looking for things that I knew the kids loved. They love caves and I found two close by Suzhou. I didn't know this when I did my research, but the cave we decided to see is on an island in Lake Tai, the biggest lake in China. As we were driving out there, Chris wondered aloud if any political conflicts ever spilled out onto these islands, or if the islands were even very inhabited in the pre-modern era. They were so peaceful, however it is clear that they are quickly becoming a luxury vacation spot. The house out there were simply amazing. They looked like houses in wealthy neighborhoods in America, even down to the vinyl siding.

The ride out there was horrible, in my opinion. There was construction almost the whole way and the road had been completely torn up. We were basically driving on a gravel road for an hour. As I was grumbling about it, Chris commented that he liked seeing all the construction and that he found it fascinating to see all the change. Yeah, I suppose a China scholar would feel that way. To me, construction is always an inconvience.

The first thing I noticed when we stepped out of the car was the overwhelming fishy smell. I just don't tend to think too far in advanced. A town on an island, duh Tina. It's going to be a fishing town. There were venders selling dried fish, shrimp and seaweed all along the road. We also saw some tables of freshly caught shrimp, laying in the sun to dry. Also, there were freshwater pearls for sale everywhere. I should have bought more while we were there, they were so cheap.


Once we arrived at the park the cave was in, we discovered that it had several other sights to see as well. This totem was at the entrance.


Zack was in a very photo-friendly mood. He kept asking me to snap photos of him, all throughout the day.



And all three of them at the same spot. I warned you these posts would be photo heavy!


The little shop inside the park sold these ribbons. I don't know what they are for, but I'm guessing they represent wishes or prayers.


This is the cave we went to. Remember, we had no idea what awaited us inside. We were just hoping that it would be worth the trip. It was so neat. I've never had a cave experience like this. Ever. And I've been to a lot of caves (maybe it's me that loves caves and not so much the boys, lol.) There was no tour guide. We were simply free to wander about the cave as we pleased. It wasn't in the best condition, but what is to be expected of a cave that has been in use for hundreds of years? There were no stalagtites or mites, I imagine they were removed long ago. However, there was a maze of rocks everywhere. These rocks were about up to my shoulder, and the kids could explore all through them. We didn't really let the kids wander though. It was a cave, after all :) There were arrows painted on the walls to point the way we should go. Also, there was a lot of lighting all along the way.


We took lots of pictures in the cave. Here they are...


This is a bridge just inside the entrance of the cave. The whole cave has water running through it.


We all had to walk under this "bridge". You can see how this was a bit of a challenge for Chris.


Zack


Zack again


At one point in the cave, we walked down a set of steep stone steps and crossed the water on stepping stones. Fun stuff that would never happen in America because of potential lawsuits. It was very slippery. We loved it. Our legs and shoes were all muddy when we left the cave.


I used my first squatter at the cave park. It was so much easier than I expected :)

Day 2 to be continued later...

Comments

[risingpheenix.livejournal.com]

I love seeing the tree with the ribbons. I think you are right that it's prayers or wishes or something like that.

I have got to send you some money so you can pick up cheap beads/pearls wherever you go.

Okay, explain how you use that squatter thing. I was surprised at how clean it looked, although it distrubes me that we would have to sit on the floor (!) to use the potty. How, er, hygenic is that?

[mysteena.livejournal.com]

Oh man, you just crack me up. I guess I need to do a better job explaining :) There is no sitting involved. Only squating. You pull your pants down to your ankles. Then you put one foot on each side of the toilet and squat over it. The pee just shoots out, no dribbling involved (I was worried about that.)

If you really want me to buy you some beads and pearls, you can send me money via paypal and tell me what types of things you're looking for. I love shopping here!

[risingpheenix.livejournal.com]

I didn't even think about PayPal! What a smart idea. You'll have to email me your PayPal info. Tell me what are prices you've seen on some beads and stuff. Lordy, I would love some jade. But again, anything that looks really neat and different would be awesome.

[mysteena.livejournal.com]

The fresh water pearls I bought were black and I paid about $3 for a string. I think I could have gotten them cheaper, because he agreed much too quickly to my offer. Ah well, better luck next time. Anyway, my paypal email is the same one I use for most of my emails: tdalt2@uis.edu. I'm not sure about the price of jade. Are you looking for beads, because I don't think I've seen any jade beads yet. I've seen carved necklace charms, or solid braclets. I'll keep looking though. Different cities sell different items, so I know as we travel more I'll come across more beads.

[risingpheenix.livejournal.com]

How much are the charms?

Oh, can you measure the length of your string of pearls?

[utmartinjenn.livejournal.com]

Hi! risingpheenix said that I should friend you and so I am! It looks as though we have a few common friends! Feel free to add me back!

[mysteena.livejournal.com]

I'd be happy to add you :) Always glad to meet new friends!