Sunday, September 21, 2008

#127 Shan Tang Jie

We did a little more Suzhou sightseeing today with a visit to Shan Tang Jie, a charming walking street along the canals in old Suzhou. The kids' friend, Ali, joined us for the excursion that started with church, then lunch, then Shan Tang street.

Lunch was a traditional Suzhou style restaurant with sweet and sour squirrel fish, dumplings, delicious vegetables, and lots of rice to satisfy the kids. We all enjoyed the food and ate more than necessary. The highlight of the meal came when Marco realized that the loose tooth he had been nursing for a month was missing. This was Marco's first lost tooth - and it was truly lost. We searched the floor and his plate but were not able to locate the tooth.

After lunch we had a walk along Shan Tang Jie which has quite a nice collection of shops selling embroidery, furniture, Mao memorabilia, painting, knick-knacks, and sculptures.

Halfway along Shan Tang, we bought tickets for a boat ride and proceeded to explore the canals between Shan Tang Jie and Tiger Hill. I really liked the canal ride because of the glimpses you get into traditional life in old Suzhou. People rinse their mops and wash their clothes and do a lot of fishing in the canals. The bridges are very beautiful and the architecture of the Suzhou houses is full of character.

Unfortunately, for most of the adventure, my camera battery had expired, so the best pictures are only in my head.

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