Tuesday, December 17, 2013

'Bollywood Dreams' - the FoD Annual Charity Ball

My last post painted a dreary picture of our life here in China - but it's most certainly not all gloom and doom over here! I, for one, have a great deal of fun - weekend parties with friends, shopping trips to Shanghai, activities in school, and always, the exotic vacations to look forward to! Just last month, we were at a fabulous soiree - the Friends of Dulwich Annual Charity Ball!

A little background about the Friends of Dulwich - this society has been created mainly to bring Dulwich parents together - if you have a child at Dulwich College Suzhou, you're automatically a member! The goal is to increase parent involvement in the school, and also through various fund raising activities, give back a little to the local community! There is an elected committee - all the members are parents who are serving in a purely voluntary capacity. Volunteers are, of course, always welcome to help out with the myriad activities happening all-year round. The 2 main events organized at the school - the first, International Day and the second, the reason for this post - The Annual Charity Ball!

The word 'Ball' always brings to mind images of glass slippers and elaborate masks, champagne and caviar, waltzing under the stars - all very romantic, true, but definitely something that I would steer far, far away from! Last year, by the time I found out about the Ball, it was too late to get tickets - so we didn't go. Everyone we know went, however - and there was plenty of excitement about getting gowns made, tuxedos being ordered - just listening to all the talk was a bit intimidating, I have to admit I was secretly relieved about not going!!

This year, I knew we would go - so it was with some trepidation that I waited for the announcement - and somehow, just like that, all my fears were gone! The theme was announced - and it was, wait for it - Bollywood!!! Talk of comfort zones, I was smack dab in the middle of mine!!! I knew exactly what I was going to wear, I had the jewellery to match - never before had dressing for a party been that easy!!! What made it better is that I was able to offer some of my non-Indian friends 'costumes' to wear - my sarees, collected over the last dozen years, finally being put to good use! We had a try-a-saree afternoon - for me, a great kick-off to what I knew was going to be a great event!!!

Next in line was Bollywood dancing - we have a very talented lady here in Suzhou, well versed in both Bharatnatyam and Kathak, and she ran a dance workshop intended to familiarize people with Bollywood song and dance. She was also going to put on a number of dance items at the Ball, and was planning to train a few women for that purpose too! I'm certainly no dancer - and by the way, just for the record - being Indian does not necessarily mean that you are an expert on Bollywood dance - or yoga! Anyway, I still showed up at the first session - and I found out that I was actually capable of gracefully moving my hands, or my feet - just not together at the same time!! I'm definitely no dancer!!! 

While most of us were having so much fun, the committee members had their noses to the grindstone - the amount of work that goes into putting on a event like this is unimaginable! I'm sure the logistics were mind boggling - selecting the venue, deciding the entrance fee, printing and selling tickets, food, decorations, entertainment - and these are just the things that are visible!! My friends were part of the decoration team, and I got a chance to see them at work - and their efforts were nothing short of genius! The creativity and ingenuity - ordering ordinary items from taobao, and then transforming them into flashy centerpieces, yards and yards of fabric to be use as chair bows and drapes, tons of flowers and votives, Bollywood posters - gold stickers, glitter, lace, glue guns, and a lot of manpower (or should it be womanpower?!). There was also archways to be made - one for the entrance, one for the photo booth - and this involved sawing and nailing wood, mixing concrete, lot of foam board for the decoration - what a tremendous job!!

The entrance archway

Baby elephant masterpiece - created from wire and flowers!

The decorated and ready ballroom

After all the hard work and anxieties - will there be enough centerpieces, will the archway hold up, to name a few - the Day of the Ball! I had a few anxieties of mine - I certainly had offered to dress my friends, but was I up to the task? Thankfully, the sarees all co-operated, and we were ready to leave by 6pm. The venue was the Hotel Kempinski - not too far from us! I had initially thought I was a bit too blingy, but as we walked into the ballroom, it was obvious that tonight there was no such thing as too much bling!! The photo booth was the first stop after registration - and I was glad to see my Chennai brass lamps add just the right touch of authenticity! Cocktail hour with much oohing and aahing followed - and then finally it was time to find our seats in the beautiful ballroom!!

The 'official' photo!

The dance show that kicked off the evening was amazing - it was quite a revelation to see the performers going all out with all the jhatkas and matkas! Free flowing beer and wine at the table - surprisingly, the wine was terrible, more vinegar than wine! The buffet soon opened - there was a large selection of entrees, both Indian and Western - like the wine, the food was nothing to write home about! They did have quite a few vegetarian options, so at least, it wasn't just salad and dessert! Then of course, there were sponsors to be thanked, and raffle tickets to be drawn, a few party games - and one last dance number, the current favorite - 1,2,3,4, Get on the dance floor! With that everyone was on the dance floor - the DJ was from Shanghai, and he played a lot of our favorite Hindi songs, so we danced the night away!

  
Going crazy on the dance floor!

What a night! I guess this was my first Ball and I literally had a ball!!! Honestly speaking, I think Ajey and I probably enjoyed it a lot more than some of the other guests - Indian dress, Indian food, Indian dance - this party was tailor made for us!! Now if only they would do this same theme every year....I know, I know - wishful thinking!! Nevertheless, one thing is certain - we'll be back, no matter what the theme!!! Until later, signing off!




Tuesday, December 10, 2013

A 'Hardship' Assignment

Our company sends its employees to far-flung places on the globe - these international assignments (ISEs) are a great stepping stone for careers, and also bring with them the opportunity to experience different cultures, to explore beyond comfort zones. I, personally, have enjoyed all our ISEs - China is our third - and frankly, the prospect of 'settling down', being a 'regular' person rather than an expat, is not something I'm looking forward to!

It is always a challenge to settle in a new place - some places maybe be a tad more challenging than others, and China and India have the dubious honour of falling into this latter category! Assignments to these countries are known as 'hardship' assignments - there's certainly no sugarcoating there, you know what you're getting into. Greater hardship also brings with it bigger perks, of course - more vacation, lavish homes, maids and drivers - you name it! When we accepted our India assignment, I was almost bubbling over with the irony - I would have given my right hand and foot to be able to live in India, and here I was being offered extra incentives because of the 'hardship'!!

Realistically speaking, though, India is certainly a difficult country to move to. Even for me, the first few months were really hard - the extremes of poverty, the resigned, lackadaisical attitudes of people, the rampant corruption - every day brings a new challenge! Even worse, living in India forces you to change, and not in a nice way. The first time you see a child begging at a street light, it hits hard in the gut - after a few months, that child has faded away, blended into the scenery. And this is just the beginning. As much as I hate to admit it, the indifference and callousness bleeds into the soul - and it made me a harder person, less sympathetic, more likely to turn a blind eye. Yes, the infrastructure is terrible, the heat is unbearable, nobody seems to work without a bribe - but the real hardship in India is the struggle to keep the conscience alive, to be kind, and above all, to be grateful. Simple things - but the most difficult! Would I do it again? In a heartbeat - in spite of what I've said, India is and will always remain, Home! And even for the other expats - India, with all its contradictions, invariably makes a lasting impression!

At first sight, China is so very much like a Western country - the huge freeways, the skyscrapers, the shopping malls, everything clean and shiny and new! Of course, behind the veneer is a communist regime, but that doesn't really impact my day-to-day life here! The language is a bit of a problem, but it's fairly easy to learn rudimentary Mandarin. The people are friendly, hardworking and eager to please. Sometimes, it seems like the biggest hardship is not having a car to get around every day! And yet, 'hardship' assignment! Of course, we were always being warned about washing fruits and vegetables carefully, and there was the big avian flu scare just a few months ago - but overall, things didn't seem to be too bad!

Until about a couple of weeks ago, when I revised all my opinions about China being a 'hardship country'. The air quality has never been the best here, and a combination of the winter cold and increase in coal burning caused a deadly smog to descend on the entire Jiangsu province. The Air Quality Index (AQI) hovered at over 450 for more than 10 days - to put this in perspective, the WHO recommends that 0 to 50 is the acceptable range of AQI - we were being forced to breathe in 10 times as many pollutants!! Most of us expats have our air purifiers running around the clock at home - but that is hardly any consolation when I have to let Manasi walk out to the school bus, and then spend the whole day at school! The students are not let outside to play, of course, but Dulwich College is taking a step further and having purifiers installed in all the classrooms!

The very idea of the air you breathe being 'hazardous' is preposterous - but it is the harsh reality here in China. This goes beyond any imaginable 'hardship', and what makes it worse is the knowledge that we are here voluntarily! I don't even pretend to understand the damage this is causing to our environment - the planet is literally choking, and there doesn't seem to be any respite coming! On a personal front, I dare not think of the long-term effects of this pollution on my family's health, and can only hope that once we leave, our respiratory systems will slowly recover! For now, the only solution is to stay indoors as much as possible - we're even considering buying masks if the situation does not improve. It is difficult to understand the high spikes in AQI - the number fluctuates quite a bit. This is the first time since we got here that it has stayed so high for so long - and I don't know if it's going to ever so bad again! The most we can hope for is a 'Unhealthy' AQI, numbers less than 200 - and I'll count myself lucky if it stays in that range as long as we are here!

Today, after 2 weeks, Suzhou has sunshine, and almost-blue skies. The AQI is getting better, the smog dissipating slowly! Fresh air is on the way - until then, stay indoors, breathe safe, all my China friends!


Friday, November 22, 2013

Back to Beijing - Part II

Continued from Back to Beijing - Part I!

The main attraction of Beijing awaited us the next day - the Great Wall! We hadn't made any reservations for a taxi to go to Mutianyu, but once again, we lucked out! Couple of nights ago, as we were finishing dinner at the Chinese restaurant, we met a travel agent who had a van and a guide available for us at a very decent price - a much better deal than what I had got last time! We were to have the van for the whole day, and the guide would take us to the Summer Palace after we were done with the Great Wall!

After a couple of really smoggy days, I was worried that we might not get a good view of the Wall - but surprisingly, we woke up to bright sunshine and blue skies. Not that I was complaining, but where exactly did all those heavy pollutants go - or did we breathe all that junk in, clearing the air??!!! Anyway, it was a perfect day to visit the Great Wall. At Mutianyu, we took the cable car up - don't want a repeat of last time! And what a glorious time we had - we walked and walked, even braving a steep upward flight of over 400 steps! Couldn't believe how great Manasi did - she matched Ajey step for step, both of them leaving me far behind! I did make it all the way up - just took my own time getting there!  And it is not just a walk - every step on the Great Wall resonates with history and a sense of grandeur! A true 'Wonder of the World'!!








Ajey hit a new high with the camera here - these pictures are probably the funnest pictures we have ever taken!





On the way down, another part of the vacation - shopping for souvenirs! Here, we were reminded again why we don't usually hire guides. So far, on the trip, the guide was no value added - and now, he didn't want us to buy anything in the little souvenir stalls, because no doubt, he intended to take us to some fancy place, where we would pay exorbitant prices for almost the same things! He even had a place picked out for us to eat 'Peking Duck' and was visibly disappointed on learning that we were vegetarians, and would prefer a Subway sandwich! He then mentioned that he wanted to show us a couple of places before we headed back to Beijing - red flags going up everywhere!

The first place he took us to was a cloisonne workshop and showroom. Cloisonne is the technique of decoration metal objects - usually copper - with enamel. The design is laid out onto the object with very thin wire, and then the 'compartments' are painstakingly filled in with different colors, and then fired in a kiln. A very labor intensive process to produce vibrantly beautiful pieces! I enjoyed seeing the workers in their shops, and all the different stages of the production - but the showroom left me cold. So obviously overpriced, so much of a tourist trap - luckily Ajey and I are now seasoned enough to walk out of such places without feeling obligated to buy something!! I'll admit that the next place he suggested was something I was looking forward to - a silk factory! This, too, was a letdown however. I don't claim to be an expert on silk, but I do have a general idea on how much a silk tie should cost - and when that is off by a large factor, there is no reason to trust the prices of bigger items like the quilts and bedspreads! The worst part is, the guide refused to leave until long after we were done - I'm guessing that he got his commission only if his clients spent x minutes in the store. Now I'm not against someone making some extra money, I only wish he had been upfront about it!

Finally, we were off to the Summer Palace - this again is a large campus filled with gardens and lakes. The largest lake, Kunming lake, is artificial, and the excavated soil was used to create the Longevity Hill, on which the actual Palace and other buildings are located. The whole structure was meant as a 60th birthday gift for the mother of Emperor Qianlong, who also last renovated the Temple of Heaven. More Chinese symbolism - the lake is shaped like a giant bat, and the hill like a peach (wait, do I have it backwards - can't remember!) - peach for long life, and bat for happiness! By the way, when I say 'bat', I mean the nocturnal animal - not a cricket or baseball bat! As we walked onto the Summer Palace grounds, front and centre, tethered to one side of the lake, was a huge rubber duck. Totally confounded me - wikipedia to the rescue - this giant rubber duck was created by sculptor Florentijn Hofman, and was part of a world tour called 'Spreading happiness around the world'. Supposed to invoke happy childhood memories! I'm not really sure what I thought of this - didn't invoke any memories for me, and it looked a little, well, out of place. I don't really get modern art!

Just like at the Forbidden City, a one-way walking path had been created to get to Longevity Hill. Normally, I would have welcomed the chance to walk around the lake through the beautiful gardens - but the thought of pushing through the jostling crowd was not very appealing, so we decided to take the dragon boat. Besides, how pretty were these boats! It had been a long day, so after admiring the 'Marble Boat' - no, it doesn't float, just a pleasure pavilion in the shape of a boat - and walking through the endless, aptly named 'Long Corridor', we were done! Although a pleasure palace, the Summer Palace has a place in history as the last residence of  the 'Dragon Lady', Empress Cixi - the last empress of China! Lots of stories in these whispering woods!

View of the Summer Palace from the lake

Dragon boat to cross the lake

Marble boat

'Long' corridor

The sun was setting right as were leaving, and the sunset was absolutely gorgeous! The outline of a pagoda against the sky, the waters of the lake turning a molten gold - there was no walking away! Also got our last crazy capture - I better watch out - I'm getting hooked too!!



Next morning, before check out, we ventured out for one last time onto Wangfujing Avenue - and found a delightful market just minutes away from our hotel. More souvenirs, yay!! Just a few steps away, the food vendors were setting up for breakfast and lunch. No stinky tofu this early in the morning, but such an assortment of odd creatures waiting to be eaten - what could be more outrageous than entire crabs, you say? How about starfish and scorpions with a side of sea horses??!! I don't really get it - how much meat can there be on that tiny, bony sea horse? Besides, aren't they endangered or something?? Oh well, you can never say 'Now I've seen it all' in China - the next surprise is just around the corner!


And so it was back to Suzhou! Another memorable vacation done! On a personal note, I did get all the posts done - and although I enjoy reliving all the fun stuff as I write, it is a relief to put Golden Week behind me! Signing off now!!





Back to Beijing - Part I

Last weekend of Golden Week - and we were off to Beijing! Truth be told, we almost didn't make it - train tickets sold out at an alarming rate, much faster than I had anticipated - but after juggling some dates and booking plane tickets for one leg of the journey, thankfully, everything fell into place! Flying out of Hongqiao airport is easy - only about an hour away from Suzhou, this is a comparatively small airport - which means less waiting time!

Beijing airport, on the other hand, is vast - it does serve the capital of the nation, after all! As we queued up for a cab to the hotel, we encountered something unexpected - we were five, 4 adults and Manasi, and apparently Manasi doesn't count as a 'kid' anymore - so we had to split up into 2 taxis, which led to a small logistics problem. Obviously, Kaka and Kaku couldn't go off by themselves, and the thought of Manasi and I setting off on our own didn't go down well with Ajey - in the end, I rode with Kaka and Kaku, and Ajey and Manasi took the second cab. Granted this wasn't my first time in Beijing, but I hadn't really taken taxis anywhere the last time, so I was a bit jittery - in any case, we made it to the hotel without incident!

Looking for hotels, I was amused to find that the last Beijing hotel I stayed at - the one which hadn't really made me happy - is actually a 'courtyard hotel', and a stay at one of these is a must for the true 'Beijing experience'! Well, you know what, been there, done that - can I have a nice 'brand' hotel this time around, please? We love the Crowne Plaza in Suzhou, and our stay in Xi'an really made us fans - and since there is a Crowne Plaza right off Wangfujing Avenue, I ended my search happily! True, this CP is a bit older than the our shiny Suzhou one, but the hospitality and guest services remain the same! In fact, as we waited for our rooms to get ready, they kept handing us coupons for free drinks to apologize for the delay - Ajey and Kaka managed to have free beers for all 3 days of our stay here!

After lunch and a short rest, we set off towards Tiananmen Square - an easy 20 minute walk from the hotel. It was curiously foggy - but it was neither cold, nor was it the right time of day for a fog - much to our dismay, the thick soupy air was the infamous Beijing pollution! Seriously? Air pollution that is visible?? It didn't seem to deter the heavy crowds of people on Wangfujing Avenue! Even the brightly lit Tiananmen Square could not dispel the gloomy fog! We did walk around the whole square, though! From gate to gate - Tiananmen in the north to Qianmen in the south - with Mao Zedong's Mausoleum and the Monument to the People's Heroes smack dab in the middle of the Square! My pictures are all foggy - but blame the air quality, not the photographer! Also, at Qianmen Gate, we took the first crazy pictures of this vacation - this soon became an ongoing theme!

Tiananmen Gate

Monument to People's Heroes

Mao Zedong's Mausoleum

Qianmen Gate - and the picture that started it all!


The walk back to the hotel felt like it was miles - of course, we still had to figure out a place for dinner. We had earlier toyed with the idea of finding an Indian restaurant, but nobody was in the mood to brave the Beijing traffic and air once again! In a pinch, McDonald's is acceptable for a quick lunch - but for, dinner? Nah! We decided to gamble a bit and headed to the lantern festooned Chinese restaurant right opposite our hotel - well, it was either that or McD's...so there weren't many complaints! Most unexpectedly, this humble restaurant served us a vegetarian feast - dumplings, noodles, fried rice and fried potatoes!

Manasi with her audio guide
Another culinary surprise awaited us in the morning - the breakfast buffet included idli-wada-sambhar and chhole-paratha! Unreal, right?! Indian food for breakfast at a American chain hotel in China! Needless to say, my foodie husband was the happiest person in the room! We headed back to the Square, this time to walk through Tiananmen Gate into the Forbidden City. The crowds were unbelievable! I remembered standing in line at a single counter to buy tickets. This time around, to handle the large number of visitors, over 50 ticket counters had been opened up - and there were people queuing at each and every one! Inside, too, large sections had been cordoned off, creating a sort of one way street- no backtracking!The air quality wasn't any better today, and the sheer number of people a bit daunting! Still, we did make it to the other end! First check mark on the list!

I was determined to visit a couple of places I had missed on my first visit - so after a quick trip back to the hotel, we set off to another iconic site in Beijing - Temple of Heaven! This is an ancient garden complex built in the 15th century by the Ming Dynasty - the layout that can be seen today was established during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the mid 18th century. Themes of the union of heaven and earth can be seen throughout this complex, for instance, 'circular heaven, square earth' - the outer northern wall is semicircular, whereas the southern is rectangular, 'blue heaven, yellow earth' - all the buildings have special glazed dark blue tiles on the roof and the inner tiles are yellow! Quick lesson in Chinese symbolism!! The entire park is planted with ancient cypress and pine trees - the air is much fresher here, and not surprisingly, this is probably the best place in Beijing for a morning run, or an evening walk, or some tai-chi!

Temple of Heaven
The 'Temple of Heaven' or the 'Hall of Prayer of Good Harvests' is built on a 3 tier marble platform and has a distinctive 3 gabled roof. This is where the 'Son of Heaven' prayed to the Gods for a bountiful harvest. A little south of here, is the Imperial Vault - similar to the Temple of Heaven, but smaller with a single gabled roof. This is surrounded by the famous 'Echo Wall' - 2 people standing at opposite ends can hear each other clearly due to the reflective properties of the perfectly circular wall. In theory, that is - and not when there are a hundred people shouting at the wall, and then looking over their shoulder to see if their friend heard them! Further south is the Circular Mound Altar - presumably, this is where sacrifices were made to appease the Gods. The center of the altar has a small marble platform called the Heart of Heaven - speaking from here creates a strong resonance with the entire structure - all the better for prayers to reach high, high up!

Of course, the innovative pictures continue - Ajey tapping his creative inner photographer!




And here's one of the ingenious photographer and his very charming model!


I was hoping to wrap up the vacation in a single post - but I'm only about halfway done at this point! So I'm going to stop here with this photograph of my 2 favorite people, and carry the rest over to a second post. Part II of Back to Beijing coming up very soon! Don't go anywhere!

Friday, November 8, 2013

Exploring Suzhou - Tongli Water Village

It seemed like a good idea at the time to write separate posts about all our different activities during Golden Week! More than a month later, and I'm only about halfway done! Meeting deadlines and perseverance have never been my strengths, but even for me, this dragging off feet is almost a record! Well, what can I say - except, better late than never - I'm seriously considering making this my motto! Anyway, here goes - Tongli Water Village!

Suzhou is often known as the 'Venice of the East' - numerous canals criss-cross across old Suzhou, quite beautiful with weeping willows planted on either side, and picturesque little bridges! Today, I don't think these canals are of much use other than being tourist attractions - but once upon a time, life in Suzhou revolved around these canals. To get a better idea of exactly how a water town functions, a short 18km drive away is Tongli, a perfectly preserved water village! Tongli is a very popular tourist destination - another must-see for visitors to Suzhou!

I was a bit surprised to find out that there actually was an entrance fee of 100 RMB to get into the ancient town - just appeared to be more commercial than what I was expecting! We did manage to get a good information booklet about the sights in Tongli - in English, upon request - but still, an entrance fee? It's like charging people to go to Sadashiv Peth in Pune!! Not a very good start!

One of the water canals
The canals form the first impression of Tongli - granted the grayish-green murky waters are a far cry from the Venetian canals - but, nevertheless, it is definitely a 'water' town! A short walk along this canal will bring you to the 3 most famous bridges in Tongli - Taiping, Jili and Changqing. Crossing these bridges is said to bestow blessings and good luck! I'm usually not superstitious - but in instances where there is no harm done, I like to cover my bases! So all 3 bridges were duly crossed! There are over 55 bridges in Tongli - no, I did not count, got that little nugget from wikipedia - so it's a good thing that only 3 of them are special!

I don't know if it was because of the vacation - but as we walked further, Tongli was starting to look like nothing more than a huge fairground! People thronged the narrow walkways, and restaurants lined the entire length of the canal! With the numerous souvenir and handicraft stores and street vendors, this was not exactly what I had been hoping to see! I was looking forward to a boat ride in the canals - but once again, the crowds had me turning away. For one, making the most of the busy day, the ferries had an additional cost. Secondly, there were so many boats in the water - it was clear that the ride would be as relaxing as being stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on a Shanghai expressway!

There are a couple of ancient structures in the village - Chongben Hall, Jiayin Hall, Gengle Hall - these are all in the Chinese style of architecture - courtyards following other courtyards with displays of wood carvings and scrolls. What sounded most promising was the Pearl Tower - following the often confusing map, we found our way here - no tower, just the residence of Censor Chen. A Chinese guide was expostulating at length to a group of tourists, so I know we were missing something! Our information booklet had a terse line - 'The Pearl Tower was the place where the story Pearl Tower taken place' - now that makes absolute sense, thank you! I looked this up on wikipedia - and more surprises - there exists a model tower made of pearls, but we never got to see that either! Oh well!

As we walked further, we ran into an actual fairground - absolutely not kidding here! Complete with candy floss and fairground games, this place did bring a smile to Manasi's face! She did try her hand at a couple of games, and ended up winning a couple of stuffed toys - enough to keep her happy for the rest of the day!




We were looking for the Tuisi Retreat and Reflection Garden - makes me relax to just hear the name - when, unbelievably, we lost our way. Well, not lost per se - we just stepped off the tourist track for a bit - and stumbled onto the most interesting part of this village - the actual village! The cobblestone alleys, narrow doorways, old houses - all real with real people! Women sitting by the water - cleaning vegetables and fish for lunch, children playing little street game, older people enjoying the sunshine - a wonderful glimpse into the simple life, just minutes away from the overly touristy side of the village! The best part of the day was walking past a tiny, cramped little hole of a room - what's so special about that? - well, a mahjong game was in progress!! I was so happy, I almost asked if I could join in!!

When we finally found the Tuisi Garden - and this is the one place that would make me want to come back to Tongli - absolutely beautiful! A classical garden, it consists of many lakes, and the buildings appear to almost float on the water. Even with the large number of people, there was a serene quality to the garden, the trees and bridges reflected in the rippling waters, goldfish playing in the shadows. A place to sit quietly, to collect your thoughts, to rest the senses. Totally worth the admission price, I would say!


This post would be incomplete without a word about the delicacy of the day - fried crab on a stick! Hairy crab is traditionally eaten during Golden Week, and almost everyone at Tongli was eating this snack - three entire crabs skewered and deep fried! I'm wondering how long I have to stay in China before I stop getting surprised by these 'delicacies'! Goes without saying, none of us were adventurous enough to try this - especially with an egg curry lunch waiting at home! I wouldn't rate Tongli as must-see, but I have to admit that the huge crowds didn't exactly add to the appeal. I found it a tad too commercial for my taste - catering almost exclusively to tourists. I would like to go back during off-season, maybe that will be a better experience!

That's it then - a day at Tongli! With this, I have just one more post left about our October staycation - and won't I be glad when I'm done! Signing off, for now!



Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Lingshan Great Buddha at Wuxi

Another must-see place for visitors to Suzhou is the Great Buddha at Lingshan, near Wuxi. Situated on Lake Tai or Tai Hu, Wuxi feels almost like a second home to many of us. The Cat facility is located here, and many expats live in Suzhou but commute daily to Wuxi. A town as steeped in history as Suzhou, Wuxi is fast evolving into a major industrial town in China!

A little further from Wuxi is the Great Buddha - somehow, I always felt that anything related to Buddhism must be ancient, but the Ling Shan site is fairly new - completed in the 1990s, with some elements added as late as 2008. The drive is pleasant - after the turnoff a long uphill road, and an awesome view of Tai Hu right at the top! Drive along the lake for about 10 minutes - Tai Hu is the largest lake in China, and is absolutely spectacular - then head to the Long Mountain, and there it is, the first glimpse of the Great Buddha nestled in the hills!

The entry tickets for this 'Buddhist Wonderland' are probably the highest I've paid here in China - 210 RMB, about $35! Still, once you've driven all the way there, it's hard to turn away just because of the cost - and it definitely is worth it, at least once! They do have a discount for senior citizens, but the only proof of age accepted is a passport. Children under 1.4m are half price - Manasi made that, just barely! At an additional 25 RMB is the ticket for the battery car, which will take you around the entire park - would definitely recommend walking though!

Buddha's feet


The Chinese absolutely outdo themselves with names - walk past the Great Screen Wall to the Soul Cleaning Basin, where visitors can wash their hands and presumably, symbolically clean their souls before entering this spiritual place! Bow your heads before the imprint of Buddha's feet, try your luck - toss a coin into one of the toes, and have your wish granted! The Pancajnana (wait a minute, that sounds like a Sanskrit word!) Gate opens up to the Bodhi Boulevard - Buddha's path to enlightenment.

Bathing by nine dragons

The Bodhi Boulevard leads to a curious sight - a fountain with sculptures of dragons, and in the center a bronze lotus bud on a tall pedestal. Wait for show time - 5 times a day - I'll bet you've never seen anything like this before! It starts off as a regular musical fountain, keep an eye on that lotus bud, though! As the show progresses, the bud slowly opens to reveal a cherubic Baby Buddha - the music reaches a crescendo, and huge jets of water shoot out from the mouth of the nine dragons to bathe the Buddha. The statue revolves around one time, and then subsides back into the lotus - until the next show! Enactment of the mythical birth of Buddha in a lotus bud - of course, Buddha didn't become 'Buddha' until well into adulthood - so a myth this will remain!

The actual 'bathing'!


Moving on - the next attraction is a huge copper frieze - the central image is a serene Buddha, surrounded by what looks like a horde of demons with weapons raised, attacking Buddha. I'm sure there's a story that's being told here - wish I could find out more about this! There are also flocks of pigeons here, and just like in India, little stalls where you can buy grain to feed the pigeons. One thing you won't see in India though - a sweeper dedicated to cleaning up after the pigeons! That's China for you!

A familiar and beloved symbol is on display right behind this - King Ashoka's pillar, 16.9 m high and carved from a single piece of granite weighing over 200 tons. Of course, these pillars were built during King Ashoka's reign to spread the word of Buddhism, so it should come as no surprise to find one here! Nevertheless, it is heart-warming, a little whiff of India in the heart of China! This is a good place to take a seat, catch your breath, maybe enjoy some green tea from one of the little shops. The statue of the Maitreya or Laughing Buddha and a replica of the hand of the Great Buddha are right after the Ashoka pillar - touching both will bring good luck and happiness, so get in line!

The Xiangfu Temple is probably the only ancient place in this Wonderland. Buy incense to burn, or tie a wooden amulet to one of the screens here. A smaller replica of the Great Buddha statue is located here, the temple houses another statue of Buddha, and also those of his disciples. Despite the crowds, there is peace and serenity here - a truly spiritual haven in this overwhelmingly tourist milieu!

Ling Shan Great Buddha

Finally, there it is - the Ling Shan Great Buddha - not so fast, though! There are 217 steps to climb to get to the base of the pedestal. A further elevator ride brings you inside the lotus, where you can walk around the giant statue, dwarfed by even the feet! At 88m, this bronze statue is one of the tallest in China - it is also the last of the Five Great Buddhas in China. The serene and composed expression of the Buddha truly captures the essence of Buddhism - a really wonderful depiction of Buddha! The Museum of Buddhist Culture and the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas are also located inside the pedestal. Worth a look, but nothing really special!

Hungry after all the walking, we headed to the Lingshan Vegetarian restaurant - what a treat it is to find a veg restaurant anywhere in China! We were in for a disappointment, though - the name of the restaurant is 'Vegetarian' - absolutely nothing veggie on the menu! Lucky we brought a picnic, but that would have to wait till we got back to the car! There are still plenty of things left to do - the Lingshan Buddhist palace, which is actually an art museum, the Ci'en Pagoda, the Flying Dragon tower, the Five Seal Mandala - if you still have any energy left!

To the exit, then - not before walking through Lingshan Plaza! This is one of my pet peeves - after paying a hefty entrance fee, why do I have to walk past so many stalls selling overpriced, generic souvenirs, handicrafts and speciality foods to get to the exit? Enough already, I just want to leave now, thank you very much!

Found a good picnic spot right by the lake on our way home. It was just sandwich fixings and chips, but even the most ordinary food can taste ambrosial with the right setting - and though the chilly breeze off the lake made for a really short stay, the picnic was probably the high spot of the day! A perfect ending to a good day of walking!





Monday, October 14, 2013

National Day 2013

National Day 2013 - the busiest travel day in the entire year! All the highways are toll free for entire Golden Week, and almost all of China goes on vacation! The roads are jam packed with cars, everyone going somewhere! For this reason, many expats choose to fly out of China for the October break - escaping the crowds in all the cities. This year, we planned to be here in Suzhou with our guests, and try to do some local sight-seeing.

For the first day of Golden Week, we had planned to go to Hangzhou. Unfortunately, there had been an accident on the expressway to Hangzhou, and all traffic was clogged. Unfazed, we decided to head to Wuxi - again, our intrepid driver, listening to traffic updates on the radio, informed us that the Wuxi road, too, was completely blocked! New destination? Since, we had a day earmarked for Shanghai, and that was the only place we could go to without horrendous traffic, Shanghai it was!

Hongqiao Pearl City
First stop in Shanghai - Hongqiao Silk & Pearl City! The name is misleading, though - sure they sell pearls and silks, but for the greater part, the Hongqiao market is a fake brand market. Leather bags, watches, clothes, electronics, and of course, all possible kinds of souvenirs are available here! It is a bargain-hunter's paradise, and I cannot stress this enough - to get a good deal, it is a must to bargain really, really hard. Often, what you pay might be as low as a tenth of the first quoted price! The 2nd floor is the pearl market - a number of jewellery stores to buy pearls, of course, but also a good selection of jade and other semiprecious stones. Although, when it comes to pearls or jade, I'm a complete ignoramus - I have no idea which ones are better, or even what the right price should be! The third floor has a plethora of tailors - you can get a good handmade suit for less than $100, with free home delivery thrown in. Ajey just had a jacket made here, and he's so happy, he's thinking of updating his entire wardrobe!!!

Cool Docks
Hongqiao is also a really good place to grab a quick lunch while shopping. Located right in the market is Bukhara, a really upscale Indian restaurant. Fantastic food, but way pricey! In the mood for something else? Right across the street from the market is Lao Wat Jie - an international food street. Here you'll find all kinds of cuisine - Chinese, Thai, Korean, Iranian, Mexican, German, French and Indian - take your pick! We had had an early start to our shopping, so by lunch time we were about done with Hongqiao. Lunch for us was at an Indian restaurant (no surprises there!), but closer to the Bund - Kebabs on the Grille at Cool Docks.This was the first time I came here, and I'm sure it's going to be one of my favorite places in Shanghai! Located just a little south of the Bund, the Cool Docks appears to be a courtyard of an old house. Fountains playing in the middle, and all four sides lined with a multitude of restaurants - a perfect place to while away the afternoon with friends! The cuisine available is varied and international - Kebabs on the Grille is a must if you want to try Indian food in Shanghai!

View of Pudong from the Bund
Sated by a heavy lunch, and refreshed after a short rest in the car, we headed to the Bund. As expected, there were tons of people - enjoying the spectacular view of Pudong and the cool breeze. To cross over to the Pudong side, we took the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel - other than driving, this is probably the best way. It is very touristy and cheesy, and you can't really see anything underwater - but it is good for a laugh! If we thought the Bund was crowded, the Pudong side was beyond anything that can be imagined! The pedestrian walkways near the IFC Mall were a solid river of people - it was almost a little scary! The Oriental Pearl Tower observation deck is one of the top tourist destinations in Shanghai - and after waiting a couple of hours in line to just get to the entrance, we wisely gave up and decided to head home!

A memorable day for sure - but after seeing first hand the crowded highways and the number of people in the city, note to self - on National Day, stay at home! Signing off!


Thursday, October 10, 2013

Exploring Suzhou - Silk Museum & North Temple Pagoda

The Indian fascination with silk is well known - no surprise that India is the largest consumer of silk in the world! It is also well known that silk fabric was first developed in China - thanks to Empress Lei-Tzu who dropped a cocoon into her steaming cup of tea! Suzhou has been one of the most important centers of China's silk industry for centuries - not only for the softest fabric, but also for the exquisite silk embroidery! So for all silk-lovers, the Suzhou Silk Museum is one of the top attractions here! I've been wanting to go for ages, and Anand Kaka's visit was just the perfect time!

Before that, however, the most famous spot in Suzhou - Tiger Hill! This time around, we hired the services of an English speaking guide - I was hoping to get a real sense of this historical location, but was really disappointed! The guide only parroted information about Tiger Hill - most of which is available online. Any other questions were met with a blank stare - what a waste of 200 RMB! Another rip-off is the buggy ride - it was supposed to be a ride around the entire site, ending at the pagoda on the top of the hill. Actually they took us straight up with no stops on the way - completely missing the Mountain Villa, the bonsai gardens and the tea gardens! Anyway, this was more of a check on the list - and we were off on our next cab ride to the Silk Museum.

Live silkworms
The Suzhou Silk Museum is located on Renmin Street. After the crowds at Tiger Hill, the museum appeared to be almost deserted. There are some interesting displays of samples of ancient silks, different weaving patterns from the various dynasties, the silk and damask costumes of royalty, the land and sea silk trade routes and the huge silk looms where you can watch the rich brocades being made. The live silkworms are probably the biggest draw, but for the most part, you would have to be a die-hard textile fan to appreciate the charms of this museum! They do have a little shop where you can buy bedspreads, silk quilts, silk embroidery - be ready to dig deep into your pockets, though - the price tags are fit for royalty!

North Temple Pagoda
A hop, skip and jump away from the Silk Museum is the North Temple Pagoda. Like the Tiger Hill pagoda, this too is one of the iconic symbols of Suzhou. One of the most ancient Buddhist temples in Suzhou, with a history dating back 1700 years - this 9 storey pagoda with a height of 76m is the tallest pagoda south of the Yangtze. It is a very picturesque location - the octagonal pagoda as a perfect backdrop to the Laughing Buddha or Maitreya statue at the entrance. What I liked best was that you can actually climb up a rickety wooden staircase to the upper levels - a bird's eye view of the surrounding gardens, and even a glimpse of the SIP high rises in the distance! A very tranquil spot right in the middle of one of the busiest parts of Suzhou!

Guanqian Jie

Another must-see tourist spot in Suzhou is the Walking Street or Guanqian Jie. This street is one of the Four Most Famous Walking Streets in China - the other 3 being in Beijing, Shanghai & Nanjing. It is a very popular spot not only for tourists, but for locals too. To be honest, I for one, don't find this street to be very special - a prosaic touristy shopping area is really all that it is. The main street is lined with brand stores, both international and Chinese - the big attraction is the new Marks & Spencer's opening soon. The Xuanmiao Temple which opens onto the street hosts a kind of bazaar in its courtyard - again very run of the mill souvenirs - pearls, wall hangings, silk scarves, and half a dozen others! A number of Western restaurants - Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonald's, Costa Coffee - make this a good place to break for lunch. For the more adventurous, there are a number of Chinese places - from the very upscale to the street vendors! Playing safe as usual, we had a rather late lunch at Pizza Hut - ready to call it a day!

Next week is Golden Week - we have a number of different activities planned in and around Suzhou, so lots more updates coming up! That's all for now!




Thursday, September 26, 2013

Moon Festival Long Weekend

The Moon Festival, or Mid-Autumn Festival, is a harvest festival celebrated in China, Taiwan and Vietnam. Celebrated on a full-moon day, the worship of the moon deity Chang'e is an central to this festival! There are plenty of folk-stories about how Chang'e ascended to the moon - most of them revolve around Chang'e protecting local peasants from a cruel king, and then fleeing to the moon to save her own life! It is traditional for the Chinese people to eat moon cakes and lotus roots - symbolizing union and peace for the entire family! And even for those of us who don't actually celebrate this festival, the long weekend is a good time to relax with your family - a much needed break after a hectic back-to-school first month!

The full moon is also a perfect time to perform the Satyanarayan puja - finding resonance in the origins of the Moon festival, this puja too is performed for thanksgiving and prosperity. I always find peace of mind and tranquility after we perform this puja - and it has become a biannual tradition, no matter where we are living - even in China! Over the years, I have managed to collect most of the paraphernalia needed, and we have learnt to accept with good grace that there will always be that one thing that is not available! The puja may not be text-book perfect, but it is always heartfelt - and it is a good lesson in doing your best, no matter what!

The next day was the big Cross Country race at Dulwich - again an annual tradition, and the first of many sports events during the year. 1.7kms for the Under-9 girls - and while I was hoping for Manasi to do her best, I have to admit that I was exhausted just thinking about the girls running in the hot sun! Since most offices had the day off, there were a surprising number of dads in attendance -  the kids were really happy about that! Manasi came in 9th in about 50 kids, and since her goal had been to be in the top 10, there were smiles all around! Although, I'm sure it wasn't any fun to go back to class all sweaty and tired!

After the race, Ajey and I headed to the Wuxi Ikea, ostensibly to buy bedside tables for our guest bedroom. But it's Ikea - a treasure trove of absolute must-haves - and you can never walk out with just the one thing you actually need! Impulse buying is the name of the game, and the Ikea prices make it real easy to justify loading up the shopping cart! And just when I thought that I had enough stuff, walking to the checkout, I saw this incredible display of photo frames - wouldn't this be just perfect for all our pictures, from the different places that we have travelled to, all the wonders we have seen! Helpfully, the store had also posted an itemized list of all the frames needed - well, I'm definitely not strong enough to resist that kind of temptation! Back at home, elation soon gave way to frustration - selecting photos is not as easy as I had thought - but when I'm done, I'm going to have an awesome photo wall that will be worth all the trouble!

After 2 hectic days, we were all ready for a day to kick-back - only, I had bought tickets for the Dulwich Family Day long before all these other activities were planned - and we set off to the Fairmont Hotel in Kunshan - a little grumpy, some of us more than the others! As it often happens, we had a wonderful time - everyone agreed that it was a good thing to have come, and please, let's do this every year! The Fairmont is located beautifully, right on the Yangcheng lake - and it would be idyllic to go spend a weekend there. Apart from the usual resort type things like the pool and bike lanes, the Fairmont boasts of an organic vegetable farm, and the thing that will doubtlessly have me returning - a bee farm! We got back to Suzhou after lunch - Ajey wanted to take in the Suzhou car show. I opted for a nap instead - 3 busy days, and we were still not done!

Sunday was Shanghai day! We were all excited - Ajey's uncle and aunt were coming to stay with us for 3 weeks, and we had to pick them up at the airport! Also, the son of one of our closest friends has moved to Shanghai for a semester, and we were to have lunch with him! After unsuccessfully trying to track down a Lebanese restaurant in Puxi - we did find the mall, but all the shops had shut down - we had a lunch at a wonderful little Mexican place. J has grown from the little boy we knew in Grenoble into a fine young man - isn't this the transformation that we hope and wish for all our kids? - the memories made me a little misty-eyed! Made it to the airport on time - is there anything more exciting than receiving people at the airport? Scanning the ranks of weary travellers, eager for the first glimpse, that absurd burst of joy when you spot them, the rush to grab their luggage cart - absolutely wonderful! We're all looking forward to some memorable times with Anand Kaka and Kamala Kaku - and I'm hoping to post about all the adventures we have with them! Signing off!