Yesterday morning we went on one of the choir organised tours to the Humble Administrator’s Garden. It was as beautiful as we remembered from our visit here 10 years ago, but so crowded that it was difficult to get a sense of peace, which we imagine was what was originally intended. It was a sunny day, and we both had headaches by the end.
After lunch, within walking distance of our hotel, we spent the afternoon resting and sleeping. A little after 5.00 we went out for a walk. We had been told that we could get a tourist map at a nearby hotel, and that was accomplished successfully. Then we walked the streets trying to find a pharmacy without success. It was a lovely evening, but crossing roads was always hazardous.
The shopping centre, which was closed the first evening when we arrived for filming of a reality show, was now open and we decided to check inside for a pharmacy. After checking the directory we located a Watson, a type of pharmacy from England. They had some bandaids which looked fairly wide. Stephen has new blistering on his toe and we bought some bandaids from the little local shop, but they were fairly narrow and he wanted wider ones.
Others in our group had been exploring locally and told us about a supermarket in the basement of the shopping centre. It is very classy, though the only thing we bought was a small bottle of drinking yogurt to share. Still, it was enjoyable walking around marvelling at the luxury feel of the place.
The shopping centre also has an Apple store, amongst other luxury shops. I imagine that most people do not actually buy from the shops, but enjoy just walking around admiringly.
Our tour this morning doesn’t start until 10.00 a.m., which is why I have time to blog. We will have this afternoon free. Tomorrow we travel by bus to Nanjing for the 3rd concert of the tour. We leave at 8.00 a.m.
Just a couple more photos from the HAG.
All of our meals are included in the price of the tour and we have only missed one so far. Each meal is an adventure, there are always dishes I don’t like, but most of the food is delicious. Often I take a small amount of a dish just to taste and make sure as the presentation differs so much from restaurant to restaurant. The meals are organsised by three young Chinese women who are employed by our tour organiser, Chris Howlett.
Up until now we have had a woman organising the tour and choir gigs, making sure that the pianos and other musical instruments are available at venues, as well as keeping track of us. But, she goes home today and Chris Howlett will be with us for the rest of the tour. I like Annie and am sorry to see her go. She is happy, however, as it is a big task to keep up with so many people.
The Humble Tourist at the Humble Administrator’s Garden
2 responses to “Suzhou: Humble Administrator’s Garden”
Are u getting emails and heard about Lee?
Yes, it was quite a shock as we didn’t know she was ill. Yvonne said she knew she was having treatment, but we had no idea. What a lovely tribute from her camera club on their website. I wonder if someone needs to write something for ours.