Day two of Suzhou goes something like this: Emery and I saw that there was a breakfast buffet at Jinjiang available according to their "Ding Guide" (left out a few letters there...) so we go and eat it because it's too much trouble to go looking around that early in the morning. It's alright for the most part and closely resembles average Chinese takeout back at home. Barely sufficient but better than what we've been eating for breakfast the past few days.

After breakfast, we join the group to check out one of Suzhou's small water towns. The area hugging the river looks a lot like Pingyao, in other words, a total tourist trap, but the view is pleasant. There's Chinese-versions of gondolas, surrounding bamboo, giant rocks, and plenty small vendors selling jewelry, tapestries, clay knickknacks and, of course, silk. We also had the option of going on another river cruise after lunch at Nan Hu Yue but half of us thought it would be redundant so we explored the market instead. Tomic also took us to see this rich guy's old home-converted-to-a-tourist-attraction, I guess to gain a little bit more insight about how Chinese nobles used to treat their relatives and close guests. The home was kind of boring, except for the old kitchen area and the historical wall carvings of the colonization of Yunnan.

In regards to things Suzhou is famous for, I also forgot to mention that they sell some juicy braised pig knuckle in these parts. We had some as a special treat during lunch time that day. I didn't think I'd like it but it tasted pretty sweet and went well with steamed rice and the other vegetable dishes.

The tour group along with our guide rented out costumes and took group photos as emperors, eunichs, and concubines. It was really cheap so we posed and pranced around for at least an hour or so, snapping as many goofy shots as we could.

We ate a few drumsticks and egg custards at KFC that evening. KFC in China serves smaller drumsticks because the chickens don't get plump here as those in US farms. It's less but in a way, more because the meat tastes better. Emery thinks they maybe free-range chickens because the meat is darker and sinewy rather than white and spongy. Annmarie and Sarah hung out with us at Da Niang Dumpling, where we ordered some fried potstickers. The dumplings were pretty okay in my opinion and it was the only thing we got but the service was lousy since it was served almost half an hour after we placed the order.

After dinner, we wandered around Silver Plaza some and found this interesting looking Brazilian steakhouse buffet. It looked very promising but unfortunately our belies were full and it was already our last night in Suzhou. We entered an electronics store where I bought a 2GB SD memory card. Electronics and other related components are usually expensive in China because many are imports however the card's price wasn't too inflated.

Most of the tour group went to do karaoke tonight. Emery and I are eating fruits and cookies and listening to music in our hotel room. Tomorrow, we all board the bullet train to our last tour destination: Shanghai. Many are going home or to other countries after this tour. Only a handful are staying in Shanghai for a couple more days. I hope we'll all get to hangout some more.
Shared Expenses
breakfast buffet 30Y (15Y each)
group lunch at Nan Hu Yue restaurant 66Y (33Y each)
costume pictures 10Y
souvenirs 183Y
candies 9Y
green tea and egg custard tart 6Y
KFC snack 19Y
Da Niang Dumpling potstickers 18Y
small cakes (banana and green tea) 12Y
other baked goods 18Y
2GB SD card 80Y

Total = 451Y approx. $66US

* Tuesday, May 12, 2009