"Short stories and travel reports from my life adventures around the globe".
December 2018. My day wandering around Tongli Water Town literally teleported me back to the days of ancient China. Picturesque canals and cobbled streets? Yup! 600 year old Ming Dynasty shopping lanes? Uh, huh! Wrinkled old Chinese folk sittin’ doin’ nothin’? You know it! Another key part of the Tongli experience was its collection of […]
Read MoreDecember 2018. So it turns out exploring Tongli Water Town can be hungry work! Be warned though, many of the restaurants and cafes here are overpriced tourist traps. There are some beautiful eateries around town, but always check the menu first. One cafe I went to tried charging 150RMB (£17/€19/$22) for a pot of tea. […]
Read MoreDecember 2018. Championed as “The Venice of China”, the city of Suzhou is home to a network of beautiful canals and ancient bridges. Two of its most historical bridges, Hu Xiang Shi Bridge and Si Po Bridge, lie on the cobbled, pedestrianised stretch of Pingjiang Road. The other is Tonggui Bridge, which many say is […]
Read MoreDecember 2018. Covering all of Suzhou’s plentiful sights in just five days requires good planning and a strong pair of legs. Especially for someone like me who tries to do as much as I can on foot. When I was researching my trip back in Ruian, I initially thought I’d skip Suzhou Museum. I’ve never […]
Read MoreDecember 2018. If you’re looking to do a canal cruise in Suzhou, there are an abundance of routes and operators to choose from. During the summer you better book in advance, as the canals here get bombarded. I’m talking queues snaking down the street as far as the eye can see. Luckily I was spared all of […]
Read MoreDecember 2018. The city of Suzhou offers visitors a fascinating slice of ancient China, especially with its UNESCO gardens and restored canal streets. This really is the perfect city in which to meander, shop, watch boats bob by and cross an age old bridge or two. Having already covered the delights of Pingjiang Road, I decided […]
Read MoreDecember 2018. Of all the exquisite bridges on offer in the city of Suzhou, Precious Belt Bridge is certainly the most unique and curious of all. Located twenty minutes outside Suzhou’s city centre, this incredible 53 arch stone structure remains largely unloved by the masses. Generally people can’t be assed to visit stuff that isn’t […]
Read MoreDecember 2018. I think as travellers we’re often guilty of just going to see the famous stuff when we visit new places. Sometimes though it’s also nice to get a picture of authentic local life to better understand what makes a city tick. Very often this can easily be done by including those regular neighborhoods on […]
Read MoreWant to get the full perspective? Before reading this, why not dip into my article: Pingjiang Road Part I December 2018. It was quickly turning into a delightful afternoon wandering around Suzhou’s ancient canal street, Pingjiang Road. I’d already walked perhaps a quarter of the way down, pausing here and there to wave at a […]
Read MoreDecember 2018. For all my complaints about life as a foreigner in China, I can’t grumble about the country’s super reliable travel infrastructure. Take my trip to Suzhou for example. 1. A thirty minute DiDi from my apartment to Ruian Railway Station. 2. A punctual, comfortable, high-speed five and a half hour train to Suzhou […]
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Traveling the world, one country at a time.
