Suzhou Getaway

Travel Date: November 11, 2012

As usual, I've gotten a little behind in updating some of my travel experiences.  So now it's catch-up time, all the way back to last year...

Fall is actually a very pretty time in Shanghai and surrounding areas, so a group of us decided to enjoy a Sunday by getting out of town for a little adventure.  Well, we were supposed to catch "some bus" to "some town" that supposedly was picturesque with interesting shops and streets.  Long story short:  I was not in the mood for an unknown and unplanned and unorganized adventure, so I decided to go on my own to Suzhou for the day.

By the time I road my bike to the neighborhood train ticket office it was nearly lunch time, and then the first train I could get was over an hour later, so I got quite a late start to my little day trip.  Regardless, Suzhou is a quick 40 minute ride on the fast train, and it's such an efficient process so I didn't mind.

What I didn't realize is that even though Suzhou is much smaller than Shanghai, it can actually be trickier to navigate because of the much smaller public transit system.  To top it off, taxis were hard to come by because on this perfectly gorgeous fall day every Cheng, Tang, and Wong were out with their families enjoying the sunshine.

My main goal was to visit the most highly-acclaimed gardens, for which Suzhou is famous (haven't you heard of the famous Suzhou gardens??).  I decided to start with the smallest garden called Master of the Nets Garden.  It was tucked away in a teeny maze of alleys, so by the time I found it I was less interested in the garden itself and more relieved that I didn't miss it completely.  It was very quaint, and yes, beautiful, although it would take a lot more study and research to fully appreciate the aesthetic for which it is so renowned.

Since the afternoon was already fading away I decided I should just aim for one more garden, so I set out to find the largest one, the Humble Administrator's Garden.  Looking at the map it seemed like a short taxi ride away, but alas there were no available taxis to be hired.  Then I decided to get bold and just hop on a city bus in the general direction.  That actually turned out to be a decent move because for 10% of the cost of a taxi I got to enjoy amazing people watching, not only of passengers on the bus, but also of all the crowds in the streets and parks as we slowly inched our way through traffic.  I tried to keep a close eye on the map, constantly referring to the gleaming blue dot on my phone's Google map, to make sure I didn't miss my jumping off point.

Wouldn't you know, I did, but I only had to backtrack about a quarter of a mile before I found the turn-off to the large garden.  It was a nice stroll down some quiet streets, and eventually dumped me into a very busy street clearly dedicated to meeting every desire of the least discerning tourist.  I inadvertently let myself get guided through the souvenir stalls before arriving at the ticket gate, only to discover that the garden closed in about 45 minutes.  I figured I could just take advantage of the fading light and do a quick wander through the gardens, with the goal of deciding whether it'd be worth another visit another day.

  

The brief visit was quite rewarding, especially since there was hardly any crowd remaining.  It was truly peaceful, and the colorful leaves and softly glimmering sun certainly added to the tranquility of the scene.  There was also a noticeable lack of litter on the ground or loud talking among visitors, which gave hope that there are in fact still some places where locals can honor and respect their surroundings. The discovery of some colorful and very healthy looking ducks in the pond was even more encouraging.  The various ponds, bridges, pavilions, and pagodas blended into one another and the trees to create a scene of complete serenity.  After my unfortunately brief visit I decided that this garden indeed warranted another visit on another beautiful day.

As the park closed the sun hung very low in the sky, and the cool autumn breeze had turned into a brisk, chilling wind.  Again I encountered the problem of transport, which was now coupled with the issue of getting to the train station in time to make my return train.  (I finally learned that it's always a good idea to get your return ticket before going to your destination because seats on trains become scarce at the end of the day.)  I debated wandering along the also famous creek, but my hungry stomach and goose-bump covered skin urged me in the direction of the train station.  By this time my phone had died, so Google was not going to help me get anywhere, nor was my translator going to help me get directions from anyone.  Moving towards desperation I opted for a pedi cab; there were a few to choose from, so naturally I turned down the first ridiculous offer and eventually found a nice older man who agreed to my price.  I wouldn't say I'm afraid of pedi cabs, especially in a smaller city with smaller streets and slower traffic, but the route to the train station lead us to the highway, and the driver made some very interesting maneuvers to get me close to the train station.  By the time we arrived I was freezing, the sun had completely set, and I was just ready to get inside and find something to warm me up.

As train stations go Suzhou is nothing special (no 7-11 or KFC) but it did have a little restaurant that was very crowded - always a good sign.  I observed the process for a minute or so, trying to determine what dish A) looked good enough to choke down and B) was in my very limited vocabulary.  I ended up with some green broccoli, egg and beef fried rice, and a mysterious soup which at least was hot.  Really it wasn't the worst thing I've ever eaten, and it was enough to hold me over until I got home.

One nice surprise in the station were the charging stations they had for all varieties of phones and devices.  For just 1 RMB (less than $.20) you could charge up your phone for about 10 minutes.  It was a long line for the iPhone cable, but I finally got some juice.  Good thing too because when I arrived in Shanghai I was uncharacteristically disoriented by the arrival hall.  I quickly figured out that despite my wisdom of buying my return ticket when I left, I made a colossal mistake by buying a ticket to the wrong station: Shanghai Railway Station instead of Shanghai HONGQIAO Station.  Doh!  So my 40 minute and 45 RMB train ride required another 30 minute and 50 RMB taxi ride to get back home.  What a disaster.

In the end I accomplished my main objectives:  enjoy a rare beautiful day and see some of those famous Suzhou gardens.  Done and done.

More photos on Flickr