Silk and More in Suzhou and Shanghai

I think all of us agree that today was another excellent day. It started off with a visit to the Net-Minder's Gardens in Suzhou. These gardens were even older than the Yuyuan Gardens in Shanghai that we visited a few days ago, having been built somewhere around 900-1000 A.D. Then it was off to the silk factory. The tour was a little disappointing as we only saw a tourist slice of the actual silk-making operation, but we had ample time to peruse the factory store. No one needed a forklift to take their purchases back to the bus, so it seemed like everyone was purchasing responsibly. After the silk factory we took a boat cruise of the canal (read: moat) around Suzhou and ended up at the breathtaking Tiger Hill park. Dr. Marlin couldn't resist striking a pose to celebrate the year of the pig.

Upon our return to Shanghai, we had an hour or so of shopping at a large market that we saw the other day. Mallory currently holds the record for the best negotiating skills; she bought a bracelet that was quoted as 2600RMB for 160RMB (approximately $20). We all have some work to do to catch up with that.

After dinner we ascended the famous Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower to get an aerial view of the city at night. Just picture the CN Tower but with much more to see below. Tonight is our last night in Shanghai, as we are catching a flight to Xi'an in the morning. This means that we also have to bid farewell to our excellent tour guide, Vivi. Many of the pictures that you see are courtesy of his handiwork.