Wuzhen to Hangzhou
Thursday, Jul 31, 2008

We woke up a bit late and then had a hearty breakfast at the Hotel. It was Western style which meant omelets, bacon, OJ, and COFFEE. It was awesome. I realize that leading off with a menu is a bit dull. I have loved the Chinese food, but it was nice to have familiar food.

After breakfast we visited Tiger Hill Pagoda in Suzhou. The place was quite beautiful, even in the rain. In fact despite the slippery pavement, the drizzle added to the mystique of the grounds. The main attraction of Tiger Hill is the Huqiu Tower or the “leaning tower of China”. The tower is leaning due to lack of solid foundation. It dates to back to 960AD. There were some great views all over the area.

Leaning tower of China

After the Pagoda we left by bus to Wuzhen. Before I drifted off to a drive induced nap I watched multiple bicycles and scooters driving around in the rain. Almost everyone had a poncho to keep dry; most of them had ponchos that had a clear opening in the front for the lights of the scooter, brilliant. Not very exciting but I found it interesting.

Check out the clean par tof the poncho that fits over the person and bike

An old stand bye

After trekking around the temple we hopped in our trusty bus and made our way to Wuzhen. Wuzhen is a small but beautiful town between Suzhou and Hangzhou. The old part of town has small narrow alleys and canals winding through it. It reminded me of cross between old Williamsburg in Virginia and the French Quarter of New Orleans. The old town is occupied mostly by older people and their jobs seem to center on either hawking gifts to tourists, reenacting old Chinese artisan skill, and just hanging out.

Here are some of the more interesting things I saw in Wuzhen. I saw a place where rice wine is manufactured and bottled. To get to the “production” we had to walk through a maze of small alleys. I saw a bed museum, do not laugh it was very interesting. Some of us, not me, noticed some chalk numbers written on many of the residences of the in the old town. Paul, my roommate found out that they are, get this, the electricity bills. I love it. It is a brilliantly simple idea. We also saw a meeting hall for the communist party. The older people would have been veterans of the Cultural Revolution. I would love to get their story of the last fifty years, my lord.

Meeting place for the Communist Party

Rice wine jugs, they are quite large.

Your electricty bill

I also loved the woodwork all over the museums and homes of the Wuzhen. Overall the whole experience was incredible, just like nearly everyone we have experienced so far.

After Wuzhen we loaded up the bus and made our way to Hangzhou. When we finally arrived we ate dinner and I went to sleep. I have had trouble sleeping the last few nights and I was finally able to get to sleep. It was great. We stayed at yet another awesome hotel. They have really spoiled us the entire trip.

More photos and videos of the day, click here