From across the river, where the train station is, looking at Suzhou proper.
The covered bridge leading from the train station into town.
My first Chinese token black guy!
A large pagoda in the center of town, seen from a distance.
Canals threading through town
Another canal.
In the Humble Administrator's Garden.
Artificial island in the garden, with pond and walkway.
Pavilion, pond.
View of the garden from a pavilion.
Houses on the pond.
Bridge over the water.
Mandarin ducks. In Chinese, these ducks are sometimes called marriage ducks, because they are known for having one mate for life.
Grove in the Humble Administrator's Garden
Lovely zigzag bridge.
Pavilion!
Secluded stone bridge.
View of the garden from an overlook.
More canals, and the weird modern city.
The rocks of Lion Grove Garden. These rocks are apparently all supposed to resemble lions, the guardians of the Buddhist faith.
Rocks and flora.
From on top of the rocks, looking down on a passage way that goes underneath them.
The central pond.
The Chinese garden in a nutshell: pavilion, pond, scholar stones, zigzag bridge.
Lovely waterfall.
The stones along the pond.
Stones, pond.
I've lived in NYC all my life, and I don't think I've ever been to creamy New York, nor am I anxious to go...
The Ming-era restaurant I ate at
Food porn time again! This was some great, great eel.
Joke posted above the urinal in the restaurant. I think it might lose something in translation.
Long shot of a canal.
An interesting example of Chinglish. Chinglish can generally be divided into two categories: instances where the translation is just plain awful, and instances where the translation is exact, but the original meaning is just kind of weird. This is the second category. The translation is quite accurate (I might render it "coffee talk" instead of "coffee language", but still); the cafe is really called Ming Time Coffee Language.
An alley leading to the Master Of Nets Garden.
Screen at the entrance of Master of Nets Garden.
Pond inside the garden.
Look familiar? That's because this is the section of the garden that served as a model for the Ming Scholar Garden in the Met.
Another shot within that room.
Lovely mosaic work on the floor of the garden.
Pond.
Another canal!
Temple fair by the river.
Lovely arched marble bridge over the river
You see this kind of scene all over China. Fields inexplicably strewn with rubble, just left like that.
Old houses along the canal.
Garden to Linger In, pond.
Bridge over a crick.
All the way down the canal.
A large gate in the city.
The lanterns of the city start lighting up as it gets dark.
The central pagoda lit up at night.
The bridge at night.
The most effeminate bag I have ever carried.
Yuanxiao, a special sweet rice dumpling the Chinese eat for the Lantern Festival (which happened to be the day I was in Suzhou). Tastes like Mochii (which it essentially is).
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