Hello from Shanghai, Time for an update i think, Well i ,We really enjoyed Suzhou even though outside the hotel was under heavy road maintenance, The restaurants were good and the people friendly as always, We got the usual looks of dis-approval from the elders for holding hands in public but what the hell,
We visited an island about an hours drive from our hotel and went for a boat ride which MinYing enjoyed very much, She has not done to much with her self as adventure wise and is having a ball, We had a peddy cab driver for many hours to show us around the island and take us up a mountain to show us where tea is grown, I was expecting someone to come from the bushes wearing a ski mask wielding a chain saw but we survived.
We spent a whole day at a place called Zhouzhuang, It is the "number 1" water city in Suzhou, Great day seeing the sights and going for a gondola ride and eating to much again, I suggest anyone going to Suzhou to visit this place.
The time went to fast in Suzhou and we caught the fast train to Hangzhou , Wow, 344kph, MinYing was so excited she fell asleep, Anyway the plan was five nights in Hangzhou and then three in Shanghai,,,,,,,,
Got off the train in Hangzhou and went to get a taxi and there were a hundred new vw taxis waiting,Somehow we managed to get in the twenty year old Hyundai??,, The window frame on the back door had been welded on (just) and this thing had no shock-absorbers what so ever, We arrived at our hotel and the room was nice so we relaxed for a while, MinYing got hungry as always so we went to find a restaurant to have a meal, We ordered our meals and i also ordered a beer, The beer arrived straight from the microwave oven so MinYing told them to bring a cold one, A little while later the same beer was returned with a glass of ice so i told them what to do with the ice and beer, The meal arrived and MinYing,s steak was good but my meal was nothing like the picture, It was 99% bone and the other 1% gravy so i protested again and got up and left after voicing our opinion of their service and quality of food, We travelled to another restaurant and the meal was only 50% bone this time and i just had to laugh and bear it, MinYing was relieved that i did see the funny side of it this time.
The next morning we decided to go to West lake,,Hmmm, Say no more, MinYing was not to impressed either, Maybe we were both still a little upset at the night before, Anyway we decided to go for a meal as we did not have breakfast so we got a taxi,,,97 rmb later we arrived at a restaurant, We passed thirty on the way to this one, MinYing chucked a wobbly in the taxi to my surprise and then we arrived at a restaurant to eat, I was un-impressed with the place and the food so we went over the road and found a good one to eat,
We got a cab back to West-lake and the fare was only 38 rmb,,,Who was ripped off???,, we walked for a while and decided to go to a shopping mall to look at electronics and clothes, we asked a cab driver to take us to a big mall and he took us to the most expensive silk clothing shop on earth,, we caught another cab and he took us to a big mall which closed as soon as we got from the cab,,Last straw, We walked to the train station and brought tickets to Shanghai and left the next morning, We could not get out of Hangzhou fast enough,,So instead of five nights we stayed for a little over 24 hours, We are now here and happy so far, Just four or five nights then off to Handan for the remainder of my trip, MinYing is having a fantastic time travelling and has taken about 500 pictures so far, Our relationship has strengthened even more now and she never lets me out of her sight and is always reaching for me in public, Still a little shy for a kiss in the street but steals one when no one is looking, She is still like an octopus at night with arms and legs all over me and if i move it only tightens her grip on me, Sometimes she is like a school girl with her playful moods and other times she can be serious, She gives me "what for" sometimes and stands for no shit from anyone, I like this in her very much, Shopping is always fun with her and she always gets her price and saves us a bundle, The cases are getting heavy and i can not wait to unload the family gifts in Handan, I have grown fond of the Chinese whiskey but it will be a habit i will be happy to break when i return home, Anyway guys and girls, Bye for now and i will update later.
