Day 8 (Suzhou)

Day 8

Tuesday 10^th July: Suzhou  J

We headed to Tiger Hill, then after lunch lost our way along the river in the “Hutongs” of Suzhou to the Old Town and stopped in a tea house for a refreshing cup of jasmine tea. Delightful! Hot and extremely humid but delightful all the same.

Tiger Hill is about 4km northwest of the city; another scenic spot, though artificial, but going up the alleyways and narrow paths to the hill where the pagoda rests is rewarded with a wide range of gardens where the English translations of the different attractions are out of this world in terms of creativity. It is quite clear that the translations are literal from the Chinese characters and you end up with “Cloud melted the tea fragrance” or “Gully to the cranes” or “Education and limpid waters bring beauty to the sea” all as enigmatic as funny!

Entrance to Tiger Hill and start of our walk in the afternoon

To the east of Tiger Hill, we followed the path along the river that led us back in town. For a long time, we walked in what seems like Hutongs; it was quiet, albeit for the hawkers on the boats who tried to get us to hop on. There are quite a few boats you can get on and be dropped off down the river, but we wanted to walk and enjoy the scenery and atmosphere. Eventually life buzzed again as we reached the old town: first a few Chinese style “corner” shops, then markets, a man in his underwear (we have been used to seeing men with their shirts rolled up showing off their belly and one leg of trousers rolled up too, but just in underwear!), and finally touristic streets on both sides of the river but full of character and charm. Bbq for dinner. Another great day in Suzhou!