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A Suzhou Day Trip
The 0838 train from Shanghai bound for Wuxi would take 31 minutes to reach Suzhou, a very feasible day trip option. Upon arrival, a horde of travel agents gathered around the single exit trying to drum up business for their guided day trips. They were everywhere. Not interested, I headed upstairs trying to look for the exit. Suzhou Railway Station is under construction, and there was a new building shell already just next to the current station. Although from the maps, it was possible to walk to the old city, in reality, it was not possible. Luckily, the first bus I saw, route 1, was headed in the right direction and soon I was on the way.

Bus route 1 travels along the north-south thoroughfare, Renmin Lu. It was only 2 stops from the train station to my first attraction, the North Temple Pagoda. With a history dating back some 1700 years to the Three Kingdoms Period, the wood pagoda has 9 levels. 25 yuan later, I headed up and up and up for a panoramic view of Suzhou.





























Heading east, the Humble Administrator’s Garden is only a 15 minute walk from the pagoda along Xibei Jie. The street fronting the garden has been pedestrianized, although quiet but deadly electric scooters still ply the stretch. The admission was not humble like the garden’s name though, and there were plenty of tourists on hand willing to pay the 70 yuan to get in.

































This garden is the largest in Suzhou and dates from the early 16th century. Using many combinations of water, islands, and hills, it has numerous viewpoints. However, enjoying them would be hard as it is now a key attraction to tour groups. Luckily, I arrived fairly early but towards the end of my 1.5 hour visit, the crowds got a bit crazy.























































More : http://www.globalphotos.org/suzhou.htm