Our next destination was the town of Suzhou; a 12-hour overnight train ride away.  Being our first sleeper train experience in China, we braced ourselves for the unexpected... we would soon discover that the toughest part would be boarding the train itself.  At first glance, the designated waiting lounge for our train appeared to be a calm and orderly queueing area; however, at exactly 30 minutes prior to departure time (when the boarding gates to the platform opened), the civilized crowd transformed into a stampeding mob, every child, businessman and grandma were determined to be the first on the train!!  After months of honing our train-boarding skills in Russia, our 'crowd-management' instincts quickly kicked in, we strapped on our 20-kilo plus backpacks, hoisted up our handluggage, stuck our elbows out and plowed through the throbbing masses...proudly showing the locals that the laowai (foreigners) should not be underestimated. 

The Chinese sleeper train turned out to be very clean and well-run.  Our 'hard-sleeper' carriage contained 20 compartments, each in turn containing 6 bunks (3 on either side of the doorway).  Luckily for us we were the first to arrive in our compartment and soon filled up the prime overhead luggage space with our bags - much to the disappointment (and swearing) of one of our fellow passengers who seemed annoyed at having to store her small handluggage under a bed.... another score for the laowais'!!! 

Twelve hours and a rather bumpy sleep later we arrived in Suzhou.

Suzhou
Location: Eastern China, Jiangsu province; 1-hour from Shanghai.
Famous for: Classical gardens and silk trade.

We planned to make a brief stop in Suzhou on our way to Shangahi in order to see its famous classical gardens, renowned to be some of the best examples in China.  The town is criss-crossed with canals and tree-lined streets which along with it's gardens make it a pleasant town to stroll through.

 
Suzhou's romantic canals.

We spent the majority of the day visiting two gardens - the Wangshi Yuan garden and the Zhuozheng Yuan garden.  Chinese garden design concentrates on achieving a harmony between architecture, art and nature, which in reality means they consist of small wooden buildings, rock sculptures and a central water-feature. 

The Wangshi Yuan garden was small but full of detail.

The Zhuozheng Yuan garden. 

The Zhuozheng Yuan garden had a massive lotus plant pond and colorful flowers.

Chinese gardens encourage people to view nature and art from all angles.

After our garden visits, we wandered back through the town to our hotel.  Along the way we came across an animated queue outside a bakery where people were excitedly buying some buns being freshly cooked before the crowd.  Curiosity (and Eric's stomach) got the better of us, and we too purchased some buns.  They turned out to be quite tasty and seemed to be filled with a mixture of meat and red bean paste - we'd love to recommend them but we still haven't worked out what they're called.

Suzhou was a tranquil town and a great place to spend a day or two; however, there appeared to be a shortage of quality brakes when we visited, as every vehicle on the road from small bicycles to large thundering trucks all emitted ear-piercing shrieks everytime they had to slow-down. 

Our trip to Suzhou lasted one day, the following morning we boarded the 7:10am train to Shanghai.

Shanghai
Location: Eastern China.
Famous for: Currently undergoing one of the fastest economic expansions the world has ever seen; recapturing its position as east Asia's leading business city.

We headed to Shanghai to meet up with some of Eric's best friends from L.A. - Matt, Daniel and Greg - who are living and working in the city.  Upon arrival at the hectic and bustling Shanghai train station, we quickly jumped into a taxi and headed to Matt's apartment.  Eric soon struck up a banter with the cab driver who seemed in awe of Eric's hairy legs - to the point where the driver reached to stroke Eric's knee much to the astonishment of Eric.  The driver then proceeded to pull up his own trouser leg to expose his knee - apparently in a proud gesture of showing-off his 9 or 10 hairs.  While the cab driver and Eric continued to bond over their 'good-fortune' at having hairy knees, Nikki could hardly contain her hysterics in the back seat. 

Our stay at Matt's was a heavenly escape from our backpacker experience... laundry (using a real machine!!), an endless choice of DVD's, use of a kitchen, an expat supermarket next door selling 'treats' such as cheddar cheese as well as the use of a private telephone where we called home for the first time in our trip.  Matt guided us through the nightlife in Shanghai - a city with an abundance of roof-top bars and Western restaurants; for a few days we ceased to be backpackers and became normal people.

The impressive and ever-growing Shanghai skyline.

Eric, Nikki, Greg and Matt enjoy a drink at a popular rooftop bar. 

Bar games were played throughout the evening...Eric and Nikki team up for a game of shuffle-board.

Cheers!! 

We also escaped the city on a roadtrip to the nearby towns of Zhouzhuang and Hangzhou.   

Zhouzhuang
Location: Jiangsu province; 120kms from Shanghai
Famous for: The 'Venice' of the East, a pleasant mix of stone bridges and tree-lined canals.

Our stop in Zhouzhuang began with a break for lunch in a local non-english speaking restaurant.  Despite Matt's good grasp of basic Chinese we were unsure of exactly what it was we were ordering.  Most of the dishes that arrived at our table turned out to be quite good, however, the 'chicken soup' was a little more extravagant than we expected....

The 'chicken' soup came complete with head and feet.

Zhouzhuang itself was an impressive network of waterways and small alleyways, lined with artisans and workshops.  We spent a few hours wandering the quaint streets and enjoying a boat ride along the canals. 

Eric guides the boat through Zhouzhuangs waterways.

Local shops sold goods such as baskets and dried teas.

We couldn't resist the expandable wooden hats sold locally.

Hangzhou
Location: Capital of the Zhejiang province.
Famous for: the stunning lake of Xi Hu, silk, tea and paper-making.

We arrived late in Hangzhou where we spent the night.  The following morning we strolled around the shores of its famous lake and scrambled some slippery rocks to see the 7-storey Baoshu Ta pogoda, which presides over a great view of the city. 

A light drizzle impeaded the views but not the crowds.

Unfortunately our visit coincided with one of the three biggest Chinese holidays of the year - National week - which meant the banks of the lake were teaming with people.  Our fellow tourists seemed to view us laowais'as a bonus attraction and many stopped to ask us to pose in photographs with them - much to our amusement.  Our new-found fans also included a stalker who found it far more interesting to follow us around for two hours rather than taking in the sights of the city.

Eric and Matt relax after a busy weekend of sightseeing. 
 

After our 5-day visit to the east coast of China, it was time to get back on the train and head west to the city of Xian.