Suzhou

An Ancient City Persevered in the Middle of a Metropolis.

Since I arrived in China many, many years ago. I’ve been told how beautiful a place it is. How I must visit and see it, how deep the history and culture run in this city.

So, over the May Day holidays it’s was the time to travel. It is not the best time to travel as everyone has the opportunity to travel then. Taking the high speed rail on the first day of the holiday, almost 21 million people in China did the same. Getting tickets was very hard. Trying to figure out the trains as you can only reserve tickets and not buy them at that point. It’s a very different kind of train journey compared to back home. Back home the trains run every half hour at best? Here every 4 minutes. Going to a train station here is like going to an airport.

So the plan was to explore Suzhou. Easier said than done. No direct trains, meet on the middle and take the metro the rest of the way. This was a mistake haha. An hour from Nantong to Shanghai to meet the world famous Jimmy Cowan. Then 3 hours on the subway. As a plan it sounded ok, but the reality was the hottest, sweatiest and cramped 3 hours I’ve ever had travelling.

Having friends in the city often helps when it comes to travel. They know the best places, they know the hidden places not on the map. No better way to get the best from a city. Over the years I have met a few people from the city and this was my time to see why they love this city so much.

It’s a city that does not disappoint. Getting out and about exploring the mixture of modern and ancient architecture existing side by side. The city is big but not congested. It’s spread out, has open spaces, lots of parks and gardens. I can understand why people love it so much.

Food and culture are so linked together, going and trying some of the local food was great. The noodles with a sweet vinegar broth, the massive lamb skewers, the bamboo flavoured ice cream and the little steamed breakfast buns.  The food was very nice and great to see how the food is similar but slightly different.

Seeing how well the city has been preserved was amazing. It is a city with many gardens, getting a private tour of one the gardens was a great experience. Meeting with a good friend Chen and her son. She gave us an experience we will never forget. Being able to walk around and ask questions from the manager of the garden. So much deep history and knowledge that gets missed by most. It was a great honour to have this privilege.

The older and ancient side of the city has been so well preserved and integrated into the modern city. I was amazed at how quiet the cultural attractions were. Right in the middle of the city. We came off a very busy street and inside is it’s almost silent. Amazing to find such peace in the middle of a massive city on a holiday week.

Leaving the old city and its walls behind we went to see the modern side of the city and were blown away by the scale of everything. When you can see a building from halfway across the city, you know it’s going to be big. Amazing light shows, monstrous buildings and amazing people.

We only had a few days in Suzhou but I can understand why people have such a love and pride to say they come from there. I will definitely go back. As with every time I travel, you can’t see it all and something will always be left on the table. Guess that’s a good excuse to go back again. If you want to know what highlights we saw, send a message. I am more than happy to help.

Peace ✌️