A Day in Suzhou

Lisa got up to go to work around 7:30, I got up shortly after 8:00, showered, then hung out a bit. Lisa left me a map, her keys and her mobile. She works until 2:30, then she's going to call me to see where I am.

I headed to a pub called Mallone's, where Lisa tells me they serve the expat crowd and have awesome American breakfasts. It was about a 30 minute walk there, got there just before 10:00am and all the posters outside were in english. I went inside, there were two girls there who seemed a bit confused as to why I'm there. It soon becomes apparent neither of them speak any english, so I finally make the international "I want to eat" gesture (hand to mouth), and they understand.

They give me amenu, and there's no breakfasts on it, it's all burgers and wings and ribs and pub food, not what I want. I left, and went to the Starbucks near Lisa's and had a latte and a yogurt instead.

Back to Lisa's apartment around 11:00, updated my journal and Lisa's mobile rang. I answered and it's some Chinese guy talking Chinese. I keep saying english, english, but he keeps talking Chinese. Finally he hangs up. A couple of minutes later, it rings again, this time it's a lady talking english, and she tells me that there's a package for Lisa at the front desk and she needs to pay 15 RMB to get it. I tell her I'll pass the message on to Lisa.

It's shortly after 1:00pm when I finish my journal, so hang out at her apartment until 2:30. She calls, heads back to the apartment (about 3:15) and we wait for Maru (Venezuela) and Megan (US), two other teachers, and we all hop in the taxi got Tiger Hill.

As me and Lisa were walking to the taxi (Maru and Megan came in the taxi), the taxi driver started yelling "LET'S GO!!!" over and over, ther only two english words he knows. It was hilarious.

Tiger Hill was cool, it's a large pagoda at the top of a hill, the tower leans, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Then we took a cab to Ping Jiang road, an awesome pedestrian walkway along an old canal, with small restaurants and shops and the canal all lit up. We ate supper there.

Taxi'd back home and to bed before 10:00. Lisa is not feeling well.