Catch up notes and Dragon Lady Details
Yesterday, we omitted a few details [that’s what I get for trying to write these 2-3 days behind] and of course a certain Dragon Lady was quick to insist I correct this oversight [bloody anal woman!]
While at Tiger Hill, we happened upon a Well that seemed to be getting a lot of attention and photo ops. Turns out that this is the Famous… [OK… only famous to the Chinese] “Han Han Spring.”
The story goes a blind monk in the Tiger Hill pagoda, being the rookie, was sent everyday down the hill to fetch water [its always a monk going for water] Anyhow… he’s getting tired of humping the water all the way up the hill and on this particular day on the way down… he stopped to rest and of course… fell asleep and dreamt that he heard a voice coming from the ground to dig here for water [they all fall asleep and dream of water… hmmmm…is this how the term “wet dream” really came about?!?!] and of course when he reported this to his
superior, the Old Monk, he was ridiculed [the rookies always get made fun of]. The Old Monk told him if there was water there he would turn into a frog and guard the well forever. Bad bet for the Old Monk because no sooner had he uttered the words than water began to bubble up from a crack in the ground, the Old Monk immediately turned into a frog, and to this day sits guarding the well. [Chucky has pics of a stone naturally shaped like a frog [so they say] sitting by the well.We did not go directly to cocktails from Tiger Hill as previously reported [because the Wacky American Tourist forgot to check his notes] but directly to the Lingering Garden, another of the beautiful gardens In Suzhou built in the 16th century. It was originally named Xu Tai Shi or East Garden, the second owner was more into Feng Shui and renamed it Cold Azure
Mountain Villa. The third owner renamed it the Lingering Garden prior to the government taking it over and that name stuck. And aptly named it was… so peaceful and harmonious it made you want to linger just a moment longer to breath in the sweet air, and contemplate the gentleness of the rock sculptures and graceful flow of the pond. We found several artists around trying to capture some of the elegant composition of the greenery, rocks, pond, and flowers on canvas or rice paper… Chucky did it in one snap. We also found folks scattered about from the uppermost pavilion to small craggy rest spots, just “lingering” to commune with the spirit and enjoy the tranquility of the moment.After “Lingering” a bit too long ourselves, but really… how could you not… it was time for head for cocktails as related in the last NOWAT and the miserable dinner.
Dragon Lady’s Notes & Observations…
It seems that the Chinese lover to flash the peace sign when they have their picture taken.
They tilt their heads a lot and flash the sign or encourage the kids to do so when Chucky sneaks up on them. Another gesture is their ‘thumbs up’ gesture for OK, however the thumb is not totally extended rather it is a closed fist with just the tip of the thumb extend up. Chucky get this a lot as he snaps away, especially when he is shooting babies. He will stop dead and whip around to chase after a cute baby [he calls it his “New Face of China” part of his “Old, Present and Future” faces of China series and when he shows the proud parent or grandparent the pic he gets the thumbs up. The very friendly Chinese have stopped us several times to take pictures with the Americans and Chucky becomes a both the ‘photographer’ and the subject as they insist on have his picture taken with them.On the way back to the hotel we discussed some spots on the planned agenda for Day 11 but after reviewing it with our guide as “just another Temple” and “Just another Factory” for a tchotchke hustle, we elected to skip them and head straight to Tongli in the countryside and spend a leisurely day there, gather in more country side culture, shop a bit where Chucky can haggle a bit more than the retail shops in town, do lunch and head to Shanghai in the afternoon. Chen Xue confirmed with the agency that we could change lunch from Suzhou to Tongli and we arranged for a 930am start to facilitate check out and avoid Rush hour Traffic.
Did we mention the Great little hotel room… and the Cool Bathroom and the wonderful Bed… and free internet and free water…Wow!
Oh… and the Dance of the Tiny Bathroom [DOTTB] has now been refined to the Tiny Bathroom Tango [TBT].
And… speaking of interesting bathroom features… while in Hanzhou at the Ramada Haihua, the ever innocent and mechanically challenged Illy decides she'll rise early and grab a leisurely shower but can’t figure out how to make the shower work or which way to turn the mono-knob control for hot water. Had she had her glasses on she might have understood the instructions plainly displayed next to the nozzle. Since it was a bit fuzzy, she got something about the ring under the nozzle and tried twisting it … first left, then right then left again and still only getting cold water. Not wishing to wake Chucky who was up late writing NOWAT’S, she elected a Pits and Parts wash in the sink. [She really didn't want to wake him only to have him roll his eyes at her and make it work] Which is exactly what he did when he headed into the spacious but poorly lit and void of any outlet for a blow dryer bathroom, when she told him the shower didn't work and he proceeded to reach in, and get hot water on the first turn of the Mono-knob and a shower spray next by pulling Down on the ring… not twisting it. [She is glaring at him now as he relates this…but he loves her]
We noticed that our guide had an aggravating head cold and nagging cough so Doctor Dragon Lady whips out the Dayquil, NyQuil Robitussin and zinc lozenges that we had brought for Chucky’s cold [that mercifully subsided on day 2 in Beijing] and instructs her on what to do. She asked if we were doctors and Illy told her no, we just raised 3 boys. She also gave her info on how to apply as a foreign exchange student to help develop her English studies more colloquially rather than the inane literal translations the government books offer.
Once back in the room, Chucky broke down and tapped the mini-bar for a Bai-Wei [Budweiser] to oil the wheels of creativity [yeah… right] and finished another NOWAT, answering some email requests along the way. [Sorry Rauli… pics are becoming a problem to upload but we'll try to get some out.]
More on the way to Tongli in our next missive.
再见朋友
Zài Jiàn Péng-You
Chuck and the ever thoughtful, home remedy prescribing, Internet Research Queen… Dragon Lady.
