Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot: DAY 688

July 21

1) Today was an epic day, as Niamh, Ada, and I went on a day tour around Suzhou. We first met Ada at the college campus, and from there we walked to the bus stop. It was a long bus ride, followed by the subway, which brought us to our first stop - 'Guanjian Street' (观前街) . The location of this 150-year-old street lying in front of the Xuanmiao Taoist Temple (玄妙观) belies its name, which means "before a temple". The 760m street consists of the eastern, middle, and western sections. The eastern part is mainly ancient buildings of historical significance, the middle part is the temple itself, while the western part is occupied by fashion and trendy shops.

2) We walked around everywhere, taking in the unique and contrasting architecture. We visited a couple of interesting shops, including those which sold small trinkets and accessories. Soon, it was time for lunch, and we were looking for recommendations online. Then Niamh suggested that we go to a restaurant which she had been before (she went previously with Nina), so we decided on that. The restaurant's name is (金牌好人民间小吃), and it serves really, really good fish. There are two types - fish in tomato broth (which Niamh had the last time she came), and fish in pickled cabbage soup. We ordered both, and a heaping bowl of rice each. The dishes came with noodles and beansprouts, making for a truly wholesome meal.

3) After lunch, we decided we had seen enough of this part of town, so we again took the subway, this time to our next stop - 'Shantang Street' (山塘街). An ancient riverside pedestrian road, it starts from Changmen Gate and winds northwest on the northern bank of the Shantang River, and ends at scenic Tiger Hill. It extends about 2.2 miles (seven li), hence the name "Seven-li Shantang". It was unbelievably hot today, and we had been walking for a very long time along the (seemingly never-ending) street, so it was good to stop and have a break at a nearby Chatime. Afterwards, we stopped once again to have "mung bean soup" (绿豆汤), a specialty here in Suzhou. It consists of mung beans (lots of it XD), red beans, glutinous rice, rock sugar, liquorice, and mint water. It may sound a bit odd but believe me, on a hot day it was certainly a life-saver.

4) After idling about and chit-chatting for a good while, it was time to go back. We took the subway back to Songtao Street (松涛街), and said goodbye to each other. I got my dinner at the nearby Family Mart, and that caps off my adventures for today. Thank you very much for visiting, and I hope you enjoyed reading a bit about my life here in Suzhou, which is fast coming to an end. Have a nice day, cheers! :D