Ty and I took a weekend and went to one of the many gardens that our city is known for. There are more gardens here than there are weekends to visit them. Someone could spend hours sitting by the water or admiring the woodwork. Here is a glipse of the "Master of the Nets Garden" - enjoy.

Shopping in China

So Carla and I went out for our first shopping trip in China. Just a regular Tuesday night that we thought would be fun to walk around the old town in the "touristy area." We started with a trip to the dumpling restaurant "Yang Yang's"... you know it is going to be good when you repeat the name. Actually, it was really good... and cheap (you guys know how I like cheap). We ended up ordering more food than even I could eat and it ended up costing us 31 RMB for the whole meal (about $4.50). Can't beat it.

We then took the advice of a German guy in one of the stores - that we should shop in another area because the ripped-off clothing we were looking at in this store was more expensive than in the shops 15 minutes away. How do you say no to a German guy? So off we went in search for ripped-off clothing cheaper than the $30 Diesel jeans we had just found. We had no idea where we were walking but we did hit a huge street packed with people shopping (things have trouble not being found in China... just llok for crowds). I mean, it was 7:30pm on a Tuesday... I guess that is prime time in China... actually no, I think every time of day is prime time in China.

Mission was accomplished. We did find Diesel jeans for $20...So Please Note: now you just have to believe chubby, blonde, slightly homosexual looking German guys that tell you to shop in other areas.

The knock-offs here are extrodinary. I mean you hear about it, but until you see it. I kind of thought that it would look equivalent to the dollar store stuff you buy in Canada... not even close. Several times I had to convince Carla that the stuff was just not real... not that you really care, but it looks that close.

At first you really feel like a kid in a candy store, but then you realize that there is no rush. every store you go in has these prices, at any point in the year. It is the beauty of China, and every major Brand's nightmare from North America.

Moral of the story. If you come to visit us. Save up your change... don't even leave out the pennies. You might be able to walk home with a Nike watch with the change in your pocket. I still don't know if it will work long enough to use on the plane ride back... but it sure looks good.

SSIS

Here are some shots of the school that I teach at, (Suzhou-Singapore International School). The campus is really big. The huge room that you see is the front foyer and the water fountain with the school logo is what you see when you drive into the school. The room below with all of the tables and chairs is one of our cafeterias. The room above is where meetings are held, there are a couple like this. I will attach all of my PE facilities on another day. It's a pretty beautiful campus.

A day in the life of a tourist...

In the old town you can often find washrooms like this with a "canal" running through it. The same "canal" runs through all of the stalls- yikes!

old town

Here are more sights from our city. It is really beautiful and the people here are very friendly and they work so hard. There is ALWAYS someone cleaning, sweeping or scrubing everywhere you turn. The other morning I saw workers mopping the sidewalks and sweeping the intersection with a broom!

more pics

Around Town...old town

Our city is basically divided into two areas. Both areas are only a few minutes apart by cab. We live in the newer area (SIP) and the older area is where we took these pictures. The Pagoda (tall tower) that you see is over over 1000 years old. It leans to one side and the myth is that the Emperor's tomb is under it. This was called Tiger Hill as there used to be a tiger that guarded the pagoda.
The other place that you see here one of the many buddist temples found in Asia. I am sure we will be seeing many more.
We went to a Silk Factory. Suzhou is known for its silk production. We watched it being woven from the silk worm cacoons and they can only produce 5 meters of silk a day as it is such a intricate process, (hence why silk is SO expensive). We bought a BEAUTIFUL set of bedding....not cheap but worth it.
In the evening we went on a boat tour down the canal that runs through the city.

Home sweet home

We have arrived and finally settled in. It was a LONG flight followed by a long drive from the airport but it was well worth it to rest in our new home. The apartment that the school has provided it great. We have a huge garden outside our home that is maintained daily by 10 full time gardeners. Here are some pictures of our place. We have 2 bedrooms so if any of you were considering taking a trip out to Asia, you definately can stay with us! Our floors are beautiful hardwood and marble. The place has an asian feel but the size of a western apartment.

Trial and Error

Here we go. This is our first attempt at an entry on our new blog. If you are reading this I guess our attempt went well.

We leave on August 9, and are flying to Shanghai via Vancouver. We have no idea what we are doing in China from the 9th to the 17th when we settle into our new home. I guess we will just figure it out as we go along... nothing new.

Please keep checking in to read of our adventures, uncomfortable situations, and exciting stories.