Conservation

We can learn much about economizing and use of available space from the Chinese. In a country were over a million people is a small town, they have had to be creative. Here are a few observations:

1. In the Suzhou New City Garden Hotel the escalators run only when approached.
2. At the toll booths on the “freeway” from Suzhou to Shanghai, two vehicles are served in each line. How? They’ve simply built a second toll booth behind the first.
3. Shanghai is preparing for an international expo in 2010. All tourists want to drive down The Bund. Already LOTS of traffic, so they are building a double-decker road! I would hope one level going each way, but that would not be very Chinese. Playing dodge cars seems to be a national sport.
4. Broadway Mansions, Shanghai—Electricity is conserved by having motion sensors in the secondary hallways of the hotel which only turn the lights on when someone is headed to a room down that hallway. (Lights by elevators stay on.)
5. Not sure if this is a safety issue or a conservation move, but the hotel elevators don’t go up without inserting a room key. I guess if you want to go to one of the restaurants or bars on the top floors, you have to have reservations. No just riding up to see the view.
6. This made me remember how the lights in shops are turned on in a cabinet when you show interest in a particular item. Why light the others?
7. Oh, yeah, and the lights in the hotel rooms don’t work until you enter and place your room key in a slot by the door. You take your room key with you when you leave; that way lights cannot be left on while you are out.

Thinking about this has put me in a quandary about something that happened at dinner last night. We treated three people: the young lady who has been our voluntary guide, the English teacher who hooked us up with her, and the young lady’s younger sister who is in the English teacher’s class. She ordered way too many dishes for us to eat. I think there were about eight platters plus a huge bowl of soup plus drinks and a crispy sweet thin bread for dessert. No rice as Chinese people seem to think that is an insult when served to visitors as that is poor people’s food.

I asked if Chinese people take home “doggie bags.” She said they don’t because food is so inexpensive here. I think we left at least as much as we ate. For the five of us the bill was about $25 USD which we think is cheap, but not so cheap if your income is less than a couple hundred per month for a good-paying job.

The retirees in SCC would blow their minds, wouldn’t they?

Day Two: Guided Tours of Suzhou

Our local guide, Sonia—Chinese name is Yang Yang which we prefer—and our driver Mr. Dong pick us up at Suzhou New City Garden Hotel. Right on time, I might add. Lili, the trainee guide, got caught in traffic caused by an accident and caught up with us.

First stop is Lingering Garden. Here is a link to some photos and a description, but use your BACK button if you look now or you will lose the blog.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/picture/jiangsu/suzhou/garden_lingering_in/

We have taken photos, but won’t ask Beth to upload them for us at this time. We have not been able to access Blogger.com from China. It is a bit of a mystery as Wordpress.com, another popular blogging site, is easily accessible. Rather than driving Beth crazy with uploading for us, I will set up a Wordpress site if Blogger.com stays blocked in Shanghai.

The sites were quite beautiful in Lingering Garden. Many different type windows through which were viewed sculptures and plantings designed to look like paintings. Old style architecture and furniture. Many rooms with Ming style furniture—beautiful. Our guide explained where the females would be hidden so that they could view guests, but not be seen.

A huge area had Chinese versions of bonsai which our guide said is much larger and is designed in four different styles. We happened upon a Chinese opera that was just beginning. It seems that audiences have become quieter and more attentive. A darling little girl kept going up to the stage’s edge and was imitating one of the performers. That would have been perfectly acceptable when we lived here. But one of the musicians even got up, went over to the mother and told her to have her child sit down.

Most of the tourists were Chinese including many children as it was Saturday. I often say, “Ni Hao” to small children and they say “hello” in return. The parents and grandparents laugh and encourage them, proud that they “know English.” And I have found that a smile is universal. Chinese have no compunctions about staring, often with jaws dropping as they check us out head to toe. But a smile and “Ni Hao” seems to break the trance and elicits a smile.

We were then taken to a silk factory. We’ve been before but this one was more of a tourist attraction followed by LOTS of opportunities to buy silk duvets, duvet covers, and clothing. This was all fine except lunch. We were taken to the “Western” section of the tourist restaurant and our guides went to the Chinese area. Had we known in time, we would have insisted on going to Chinese restaurant. We would much prefer to eat good Chinese food than their version of Western food.

After lunch our driver dropped Yang Yang and us off on a street through a reclamation area. The homes are the old style white walls with black tile roofs with lots of canals and bridges. There is little to do there as yet other than dodge getting hit by bicycles and motorbikes that whiz through. Hard to look around while playing a motorized version of dodge ball.

And the walk was LONG!!! Followed by several city blocks of stores before getting to the parking area for the van. Supposedly, parking was “forbidden” in the reclamation area. We suspect it was more a case of you might buy something during the walk. Thank goodness Archie and I have both been walking at home in preparation for this trip. But we really have not built up to the distance covered when you add Lingering Gardens to the reclamation area. I estimate about six or seven miles altogether. So we headed from there to the hotel for naptime. The guides picked us up about 6:15 pm to drive us to a Chinese restaurant for a typical Suzhou dinner. We were the only Westerners. The manager was so happy to have us that he did not allow us to pay for the Qingdao beer we ordered.

Going Where?

SFO to SHA on Sept 10: Of course, we lose a day, but worth it. Transfer to Suzhou on arrival and there till 14th, Monday. Have reservations at M on the Bund that night. Grace, Sturdy, Beth and I were one of their first customers back in 1999. Had an incredible Sunday brunch then on the patio if I remember right. On top of a building on The Bund, looking over the river as lights of Shanghai come up.

Fly from Shanghai to Jing de Zhen on Thursday, 17th. Jing de Zhen is the world capital for porcelain. I collect, so should be the highlight of my trip. Wonder what I can buy there?

Sunday we fly through Shenzhen to Xiamen and have a week there, staying in an apartment instead of a hotel. We'll fill you in on the conveniences--sounds very modern and upscale.

Sept 25 to Hong Kong and a stamp auction there.

HK to SFO on the 29th.

More to come I am sure.

Archie

Returning to China

In 1999 we went to Qingdao, China, to teach in an international school—Archie, Grace, and Beth who was 16 at the time. Archie taught in Shanghai the following year. Although Archie and Beth have both returned, this will be the first time for Grace to set foot in China again since that time.
We hope that our friends and family will follow along with us on this return to China trip. We will post our itinerary soon. Even though we’re leaving home on September 2, we will actually leave for China from San Francisco on September 10.

We’re not sure how often we will be able to post, but Internet access is available in many places in China now. Of our five destinations we are sure that we’ll be able to access from Shanghai, Hong Kong, and most likely Xiamen. We have two side trips planned: Jing de Zhen and Suzhou.

Only time will tell whether we will be able to add to the blog from those locations or not.
So stay tuned. We hope you find our adventures interesting and entertaining. And who knows—you may want to join us in the future.

Grace