Wuxi & Luzhi Ancient Towns

During the evening we had decided to head off to Wuxi town, which is where Mark’s housemate was heading tomorrow… that morning… Robyn advised she wasn’t overly well and Mark was MIA… Therese and I pulled ourselves together and headed off to the train station.

Why Wuxi? Well I thought it was pronounced Woooki… like the cute guys off Star Wars? Apparently this is not the case, its pronounced Wooshi, and if I’d known that I may have stayed in bed – not really, but still, would you not go to a place full of Wookies? It’s the closest you’ll get to a Care Bare hive!

Wuxi sits along the third largest lake in China, it is considered the Land of Fish and Rice. For me? It seems more a peaceful village with some superb natural spots. Therese and I enjoyed the giant lilly pads, the stone bridges and sculpture of a giant turtle, apparently the child of a dragon. There was a woman laying a traditional flute, and children dressing up in traditional attire… We watched a barge of goodness-knows how many people floating across the lake… and then…

And then…

A SPEED BOAT

Both Therese and I were for want of funds, things were getting tight… Should we keep the cash for a fancy dinner? For a souvenir? Or… should… we…. GO ON A SPEED BOAT RIDE?

Definitely souvenir… no no no…

We headed o the counter, both indicating with excitement that we wanted to go on the yellow boat. The customer service lady smiled, exchanged our money for tickets and we were on our way.

“Water”, one of the employees instructed as he thrust a waterproof jacket in my general direction, 

“No”, I said… I had EVERY intention of getting as SATURATED as possible! If I couldn’t go on a waterslide for the next few years you can bet your bottom dollar I’d take advantage of this opportunity!

Therese popped on her waterproof. I handed my bag to the guys on-land, we held on to bar infront of us, music began to blare, the driver gave instructions… in Chinese… Therese and I looked at one another… a dark shadow in our eyes, the dare-devil flooding through our veins… with a jerk and a pull and a GROWL from the engine, we were off and across the lake!

Skidding across the water, we held on for dear life! We screamed and laughed and the suddenly the boat did a complete three-sixty and we doused with water. I was elated and wanted nothing more than to keep on this ride for a good hour or so!

After twenty minutes we were back to shore, Chinese and English alike giggling and smiling and enjoying the natural buzz of endorphins.

In the words of Will Smith in Independence Day… “I GOTTA GET ME ONE OF THESE!”

We capered back down the hill and spent some time again, taking in the natural beauty that we would invariably miss when we got back to Tangshan.

While heading to Wuxi, trying to make the right train, missing the first and organizing the next, I’d neglected to see how striking the train station was itself. I stood, having escaped the train, observing in awe the structure of the city wall, the tower, and over-arching statue of Confucius. I felt as if I could spend a day and a night staring at and contemplating.

Upon our return Robyn was feeling better and we decided to head to a local restaurant for dinner... 

However, the locality of our hotel meant that it was not overly foreign-friendly… everything was in Chinese.

As well as you may imagine Google Translate may be, it aint what it needs to be in a long shot. After some confusion and discussion I suggested I translate on my phone that we want:

1.       Chicken dish

2.       Beef dish

3.       Noodles

4.       Rice

5.       Vegetable dish

It was agreed and our waiter was confused… then relieved, the concerned, then hoped to make best friends of us all!

Slowly, dish after dish after dish after dish arrived!  Cured meat and spicey chicken and watery noodles and… where was the rice?

Our waiter returned, he wanted to have a chat via translator… and then

“OH!!! You rice! I forget! Oh! Your rice!”

And suddenly rice arrived.

“So sorry!” he said, as if he’d slain my sister, “So so sorry! I forgot!”,

We advised the he was a very good waiter and it was ok, and we were not mad… but he continued to apologize and I agreed to be his WeChat friend (Chinese version of Facebook), so I think he will recover.

Another day, another destination… I was determined to go to an Ancient Water town and let Therese and Robyn know… “feel free to come, but if you don’t want to… you know, we can do our own thing”,

“Definitely want to come along… but maybe we can spread out for a bit when we get there and do our own thing”, said Robyn

It seemed everyone was seeking a bit of alone time…

“Sounds good.. 10am start?”

“10am start”

And so… we headed off to our rooms and hoped… hoped with so much power, that tomorrow would not be a disappointment. It would take two hours to get there… so fingers crossed it would be worth it!

It was coming to four / five days together and as polite individuals none of us expressed our complete desire to be away from one another, but made polite smiles and appropriate gestures while secretely wishing one or both of the other individuals would disappear.

Fortunately, bus travel is not conducive to chitter chatter, or atleast as far as I’m concerned. I may or may not have popped my backpack on the seat next to me to prevent another person from sitting there… that would be ignorant… and yet… one also must consider ones mental health… and silence is very important to said health.

One bus switch and we were on our way to Luxhi town.

Jumping off the bus on a sickly looking street with vendors selling cheap and used wares, I kept staring at Wendy… WENDY, I thought… Where had you led us!

And then taking the corner… I was humbled by Wendy’s skill and ability… we had entered China’s answer to Mount Olympus.

Luzhi town is over 2500 years old, it is a traditional town that prides itself on its canals, traditional dress and (in my personal opinion) street food. The three of us partook in some kind of cabbage fried thing and I’ve not stopped thinking about it since!

As you wander the streets your cross stone bridge after stone bridge, watch artists create their work, street vendors and restaurateurs flip and flick and fry and boil and toil over their cuisine.

After a delicious lunch of friend rice and wanton soup, the three of us went our separate ways.

I swung my camera over my head and headed off, wandering cobbled street after street. I stopped and watched local children play with paper planes. While I passed I glanced in open windows and saw onion choppings and meat and plates and play things and ribbons and kits flung from here to there in the room, just as any other home in the world I know.

I wandered over bridges, some built in 960 AD, the idea simply took my breath away. I bantered with shop keepers trying to understand their goods, I smelt the street food and smiled while hiding my absolute fear of what this or that item could be… but most importantly…

I felt at home. I felt I’d found the China I had dreamed of, that which I visualized while sitting scared in Australia about the adventure I was about to go on!

Simply… Luzhi is idealic. It is beautiful. It is the China of stories and books.

My camera and I wandered through the town and then into the gardens. I stood and enjoyed a performance of acrobats and singing, then continued through to observe different family-orientated sculptures, I stopped to listen on the water-way to a flute player, and stopped to write under some ancient awnings while enjoying the applause of a crowd across the way.

It is a tapestry of ancient bridges and towers, of water ways and fauna and flora. You can sense kindness from everyone who visits, we are all here for peace.

If I were to suggest somewhere to visit in China I would advise Luzhi before Beijing. There is the essence of history there, but also… people live here in a traditional manner, it is not about being Western, or more this or that… We were the only foreigners there, and there is something authentic in that.

We headed back to the ‘hotel’ and prepared ourselves for the imminently DREADFUL train ride home, but I think we were all content with what we’d seen and experienced here in Suzhou.

Personally, I wished I were closer to catch up with Mark and the other guys that lived in the town, not to mention the variety of history that seemed to litter this southern part of China, but home is home is home is home and whether you like it or not… that’s where you gotta go back to!

I am ridiculously, endlessly, shockingly happy to tell you… the train ride back, yes 14 hours… BUT WE WERE NOT SQUISHED! We had our seats and were not slept on, bag-put on or coughed / sneezed or eyed on.

For me? It took a good week to get back to normal, such was the physical ordeal of so many people and lack of sleep… but was it worth it?

When is travel not worth it?

NEVER!