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the Forbidden City with our Beijing guide Jerry. |
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we were taken to the designated restaurant for supper. The whole day had been an amazing experience. Imagine seeing and touring a segment of the 1,400 year-old longest canal or man-made river in the world; enjoying the tranquility of ancient classical gardens; being amazed by the modern structures surrounding antiquities... |
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to see a pair of pants standing in the distance! Apparently, there is more than one such building in China. |
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Here, we are introduced to another important commodity in Suzhou - silk. |
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many establishments maintained beautifully landscaped gardens. |
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were treated to some eye-candy: beautiful paintings, all done on silk. |
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Ah... they will pack and ship to you, for a small fee. But, if the purchase was over $4,000, shipping is free ;-) |
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None of the items displayed here were for sale. These were just to whet our appetite for the tour of the silk factory later. |
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The first two were free, as was the "Sprite". |
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Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Hop Hing. Their group made up half of our whole group. Most of the older folks had immigrated from South Africa, thus confusing us at first as they all spoke excellent English with a "British" accent! |
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The elderly couple beside the a/c unit, Arthur and Yvonne are the "leaders" of the Hop Hing Pack. The pack consists of brothers, sisters, spouses, children and grandchildren who have taken this opportunity to go with Arthur to their ancestors' village. Arthur has maintained contact with relatives in the village and he speaks the dialect. |
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long with Terry, Peter, Matt and Sarah from Australia |
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because of the big meal was just finished;-) |
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