Life is Edible: China Day 4: Suzhou

Finally made it to Suzhou! This guy was roasting yams I think.. smelled delicious :O

So this is where we're going. Omg English! Lion Grove Garden. Sounds promising :)

Waiting around outside while my tour guide pays for our admission.

This garden was built in 1342 and it's 10,000 square meters. Holy crap!

I wish I could read that...

I love these. When I get my own house, this is how my doors will look :P

Whoa a white guy!

Here's the rock cave garden maze thingy. Tour guide told us to go through it while she.. I don't know where she went.

Let's go!

If you're claustrophobic.. don't go through this.

Climbed out from under the rocks and saw this view. Beautiful!

Continuing on through the maze

It's dark down there..

Climbed out and here's another view

Where am I..

How do I get over there??

I see light!

Finally made it out. It took like 30 mins to get through this thing.

There's the rock maze I just went through

We stopped here for a while. It must be important but I couldn't understand my tour guide :\

I found English! So I guess this is the most famous pavilion in the garden.

Look at all the detail in the carving. Made by an anonymous Qing artist.

I wonder what that says..

Pretty windows!

Leaving the garden. That's my tour guide :)

Goodbye Lion Grove Garden

Lunch time!!!

Yummmmmm

Outside the restaurant. That's amazing!!

Back on the bus. Those plants look so fake :O

We hung out around here for a while. Tour guide was buying admission tickets I think.

Looks like we're going here! Zhouzhuang.

Ooo English

We hopped back onto the bus

We got dropped off here.

We walked for a while and passed by lots of shops:

Oooo meat :O

So here we are at Zhouzhuang. I can't read that.. something about "one water"..

And there's water! I was right :D

Tour guide gathering all of us together and making sure we're not lost. This was the most crowded place I've been too. It was insane!

It was really narrow and lined with shops but too crowded and no time to stop and look at them.

Fishies

He's making dragon's beard candy! It's basically spun sugar.

I fell behind. As long as I still spot the green flag, I'm fine! She's pretty far ahead.

Soooo crowded

Alright, I'll be careful!

I think this is marble. People were touching it so I did too :D

I don't know what that does. Old school flour sifter?

Dark narrow hallway. Looks creepy huh? It was actually darker in person.

Old school kitchen

A long hallway and the whole wall covered with these :O

Ooo more meat

Wow she made all those shirts with that

Doggie!

I love these sorts of places. Old school China :)

This place is like the Venice of China. People used to row their boats through the canals to get everywhere.

Traffic jam!

Ooo popcorn! That's so out of place

Ugh stairs

Ooo there's the meat again

Leaving Zhouzhuang

Victory! Or peace sign?

Someone's dinner

Sewer things look pretty cool

Mysterious building behind the fence

Dinner time!!!!

Tables here have layers of thin plastic for easy cleaning. Just throw the top layer away! How clever.

Mmm the meat I've been seeing throughout the day

Is that a giant goldfish?

More of someone's dinner

Out of focus blurry hitler cat

On the bus to the hotel

Hotel. Looks fancy.

My room. This room was huuuuuuuge.

My giant bed.

But why are there five beds in here?? lol

It was still pretty early so we went exploring. Follow the yellow glowy road and see where it takes us..

Went into this store.

Wow chips in millions of different flavors!!!

Wandered down a little further

Mmmm street food. That dude is my cousin's husband? Baby's daddy? My cousin lives in Seattle with their daughter but he still lives in China because the immigration laws are weird.

My first time eating street food! I know. I was told I shouldn't eat street food because I'll get traveler's diarrhea but I was fine. Nothing can separate me and food!!