Day three in China. Or is that day 2 ½?

Day three in China. Or is that day 2 ½?

Got up pretty early and headed for the hotel café for breakfast. Can’t resist that buffet, and they have wonderful coffee. Coffee is a luxury in China, and good coffee is a godsend. Three cups later, in addition to two plates of Chinese plus Western food I am ready to go. Grace is not quite as charged up as I am. So I take a walk “around the block”. Now that was a big block!

Out the front door and down Shishan Lu (road). This is called the New City area, and they must be setting it up to be the financial center. Lots of very large buildings (10, 40 +/- stories) up and running, plus another 15 +/- under construction. Almost every one is a bank or “securities” office on the ground floor. No shops, and of course, at 8:00 am on Sunday morning, nothing but construction going on.

Left turn at first major light, before crossing traffic. That road I did not cross is maybe 10 lanes wide at that intersection, and it is way too early for Archie to be navigating traffic at this date and time. There may not be much traffic right now, but that just means there are more lanes to drive in. No, they have not mastered the art of staying in one lane here; any open lane is fair game, unless of course, the police are close by and watching.

Down the street and past a number of large residential construction sites. All multi story, 25 plus I would say, most multiple buildings too. Many of the apartments appear to still be vacant, but construction continues. The finished ones look strange and quiet. Over a bridge (remember, Suzhou is one of the cities called the Venice of the East), past a closed factory, then another residential complex going up. This one is International Residences, appears to be maybe 15 buildings, each maybe 25 stories, each building holding maybe 500 apartments. That runs to 7,500 apartments total according to my quick math. Wowsers! One of our guides yesterday told us construction runs about 100 US$ per square foot here for new high end apartments. Another closed factory.

Turn left again at another major intersection. Across the street I stop and watch as the “Crystal Romance Club” gets warmed up. Maybe 100 employees lined up military style formation with the boss out front leading a pep talk. No calisthenics, just formation and talk. Now that I think of it, no Tai Chi, no warming exercises anywhere. Guess I am in the newer part of town (hence the name, duh!) and not many retirees, mostly younger crowd. Another closed factory in the middle of that block.

Economy in China is being spurred on by massive federal spending just as in the US. Spending is mostly on infrastructure. There has been a lot written about the displacement of millions of Chinese migrant workers, the ones that worked in just such factories due to the worldwide economic slowdown. Try a search for how much the Shanghai Municipal government is spending on the World Expo next year and you will understand that China is serious. I’m afraid to quote the number from memory because those sized numbers boggle my brain.

More International Residences, multiple entries, each with a gate and security guard on duty. Pass some construction workers apparently waiting for the opportunity to work. Each has a three wheeler with a wagon bed in back. Several motorized, several peddle power.

Sun is now out, and boy it gets hot fast. I am almost immediately sweating just from walking.

Left again, there is a large roundabout in front of me with a monument in the center, and several nice restaurants appear to be getting ready to open. But still almost no traffic, very quiet. Back by another entry to International Residences, then back across the canal, another closed factory. I see the hotel on the left, but have to walk quite a way because the road is elevated, and no easy access to the hotel property. The new wing of the hotel is one of those multi story buildings I mentioned earlier, probably 45 stories up. We happen to be in the older wing, but very nice.

I’m hot, tired, and it is just 9:00 am. Up to the room to rest and cool down. Grace is working on the computer, but we are both tired so decide to just chill before venturing out.

Noonish, we decide enough of this rest and head out. Go to a “cultural Relics store” but find little we can use or want. Beautiful stuff mind you, but we have enough stuff, we think. Down a side street, there seems to be more happening down here. Shopping district and I am not sure if someone turned a switch or what, but there are people everywhere here. We wander along just doing some observing but it is getting close to lunchtime. We decide to try an “Old Uncle” outlet, but notice there are two Kentucky Frieds on the street. Old Uncle to be one of China’s version of a McD’s, with fast service and meals instead of plates. Oops, no English, and no numbers to order, although the pictures look great. Hostess helps, then a young man at the counter comes over. Seems the young lady taking orders did not want to handle our toneless Chinese. He assists and we get a tray and head upstairs. Busy place upstairs, but we locate a table. Grace has the Mosseman (sp?) Curry offering, I have ?????. That means I order but have not a clue, and after getting have less of a clue. But both are good, and they come with a custard dish also. Grace thinks she sees “little things with eyes” in the custard, I pretend I don’t see what she sees. No fishy taste.

Taxi to Tiger Hill, one of Suzhou’s main tourist spots. It is Sunday and everyone is out and about, so we stop before entering and instead take a canal boat ride. The pictures are from that ride. Boatman says the ride is 7 miles, seems more like 0.7, or maybe a very short 7 km, but very nice and peaceful. Lots of photo ops, but mostly the backs of houses. And yes, even a garbage collecting boat is on duty, cleaning up any floating debris that might bother tourists or clog motors, etc. A number of very cool bridges, most are arched and only support pedestrian traffic.

Out at the end of the ride, and stumble upon another of Suzhou’s spots, Shan Tang Street, a lovely street in the old style. Lots of shops, lots of very expensive art and artifacts, but nothing we want. Lots more walking, and then back to a main street and a taxi to the hotel.

More rest. We decide we are NOT over the airline part of the trip yet. A long nap for both of us, and then dinner in the hotel instead of going out. This was the rest and recuperate day fro us, hope we have not overdone it. But hard to stay inside and rest when China beckons.

It is now 9:40 and we are back in the room, already tired but looking forward to the drive back to Shanghai tomorrow afternoon, in daylight this time.

Good day, more to follow.