We took it upon ourselves to initiate a trip west of the city to do what foreigners do best, sight-see! Our destination - Zhouzhuang water village. 900 years of history and life. And we thought Philadelphia bore some history! http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/jiangsu/suzhou/zhouzhuang.htm
Supposedly Tom Cruise filmed Mission Impossible 3 here in Zhouzhuang, but it's likley to have been one of the more remote and obscure water villages. It's more fun to imagine him seeking a couch to jump on and declaring his love for China!
Before you can begin such an adventure, you must carefully plan out the day. I'm wondering if you can guess by now what aspect of the plan is most notable and worthy.
Food? CORRECT! That won't cover all the necessities, though. Packing a lunch, drink and snacks will prevent you from encountering debate, bravery and torture in what is supposed to be a pleasant and relaxing day.
Map? Not the map - the driver is your map! Give him an address and sit back and enjoy the ride. Since Megan was away last week (stay tuned for a blog of her experience), Jon and I shared the middle captains seats while the wee-ones camped out in the backseat of the van. It's as close to a date as we can sometimes get.
Tunes? Yes - that is a necessary element of a long ride. We packed up the IPAD loaded with tunes to use as our portable radio. You really don't want the driver to turn on the radio unless you like the local offerings streaming through.
Toilet paper? Yes again! Why? Because most public toilets, outside the very modernized area of downtown Shanghai and our expat area, offer toilets in the ground and no paper! Maybe this picture helps explain that. I've determined that since so many Chinese ladies wear dresses of some sort, maybe this is a smart idea. Try it with shorts and you'll require flexibility, strategic squatting and really good aim! (p.s. those are not my skinny legs HA HA HA.... Chloe takes the credit for attempting aim and vanity!)
Food? CORRECT! That won't cover all the necessities, though. Packing a lunch, drink and snacks will prevent you from encountering debate, bravery and torture in what is supposed to be a pleasant and relaxing day.
Map? Not the map - the driver is your map! Give him an address and sit back and enjoy the ride. Since Megan was away last week (stay tuned for a blog of her experience), Jon and I shared the middle captains seats while the wee-ones camped out in the backseat of the van. It's as close to a date as we can sometimes get.
Tunes? Yes - that is a necessary element of a long ride. We packed up the IPAD loaded with tunes to use as our portable radio. You really don't want the driver to turn on the radio unless you like the local offerings streaming through.
Toilet paper? Yes again! Why? Because most public toilets, outside the very modernized area of downtown Shanghai and our expat area, offer toilets in the ground and no paper! Maybe this picture helps explain that. I've determined that since so many Chinese ladies wear dresses of some sort, maybe this is a smart idea. Try it with shorts and you'll require flexibility, strategic squatting and really good aim! (p.s. those are not my skinny legs HA HA HA.... Chloe takes the credit for attempting aim and vanity!)
The village was full of sights, sounds and smells that take you to a new dimension. The history is rich and unique, the people proud and the ambience a simple portrayal of all that makes the community and family feel come to life. The shops - small carved out closets of space selling everything from spun goods to spices to dried tea leaves (does that come with papers and lighters?) to dried fish on sticks and tea-stained eggs. I love their spirit in the realm of effective food utilization.
Our favorite part was the canal boat ride topped with Chinese folk songs. I have this great video to depict the whole experience but of course the site won't upload it properly. I will work on an upload to facebook!
Definitely a trip worth taking. We'll add this to the visting friends and family list. I sure hope that list gets put to good use (uh-hummmmm)!!
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