How Else to End a 3 Week Trip...But with a Chinese Hair Cut!

Casey, Grace and I decided to be brave and get our hair cut while in Suzhou. For $10 US dollars I got my hair washed, cut and styled and had the most amazing head/shoulder neck message. Too bad I didn't take any before and after shots. Though do note the place was called "Worry Hair"!

Janice and her Husband Biao

Such sweet, wonderful people to invite me into their home. I had such a fun, relaxing time.

Pearl Market

Janice took me to this incredibly large pearl market in Suzhou. There were so many stalls selling the same thing. Pretty amazing deals to be had to say the least. I was yet again asked if I was French??? Only the second time on this trip. I'm thinking my nose is throwing them off! Thanks Hammond family.

Chinese Weddings

My friend Janice just got married last year. She took me to wedding dress mecca in the center of Suzhou where there are 1000 stores devoted to this type of thing. Chinese weddings are glitzy. The bride rents mutiple dresses and takes glamour shots in these. Then for the actual day the bride wears a white dress for the ceremony and during the party changes into a red dress. Example of those dresses are as shown. I tried to get a dress for my sister's wedding, but alas I could only find a purple sequined mini strapless bubble dress which would have hilarious, but a little out of place.

Cooking Food Together

I attempted to help Janice make this delicious meal, but really she deserves all of the credit. It was so good. Her mother is owns a pork butcher shop so she really knows how to shop for the best meat.

Janice's Apartment in Suzhou

My friend Janice, whom I used to work with while at VTBC, invited me into her home. These are pics from her amazing apartment. Really, I need to find a job in China.

Journals and the Store's Signature Chop

Casey and Grace bought a couple of little journals at this side market store. Here is Grace adhering the store's special chop to each of the journals.

Stinky Tofu

Believe me when I say stinky tofu is really stinky. We were daring and tried some. It's not exactly on the top of my favorite food list.

Food in Tong Li

Chinese street food is amazing. Above are some pics devoted to snacking on the street. The top picture is of this spun sugar dessert that has peanuts inside. The middle picture is of these gelatinous herb balls we had, such a vibrant color. The bottom picture is of pork knuckles which students eat before big tests to give them good luck. The four of us ate this for lunch as we have a 19 credit semester ahead of us!

Deviation Ahoy!

Karyn, Grace, Casey and I decided to deviate after our school trip and go touring near Suzhou. Here we are in Tong Li a historical town located about 2 hours away from Shanghai.

Chapped Cheeks Anyone?

Yep, this is China's solution to diapers. Slightly adorable, slightly horrific.

Nanjing Road

1o million people live in Shanghai. Just to grasp that here are some pics of the pedestrian street, Nanjing Road. Needless to say my personal space is non-existent at the moment.

Lunch Out on the Yangtze

Kwang and I had lunch out together on the Yangtze at this bar that had this fabulous view of the river. Note that the waitress gave me a fork and spoon while Kwang got handed the chop sticks. We both thought this was hilarious.

The Largest Floating Advertisement I've Ever Seen

Yes, that is a giant television on a boat. I wonder how much it costs to rent ad space on?

Zen in Suzhou

Sue and Arusa have a zen moment in Suzhou.

Kitty on a Leash

Yes, this cat was on a leash and yes, it also wanted to come home with me. That was until its owner picked it up, walked 5 feet and put in down in a different spot.

Fun Time in Business Suits

These shots are from the waterfront in Suzhou. My favorite part was watching business students race bicycles in business suits.

More Pictures of the Suzhou Gardens

Apparently I like taking pictures of people at work. These are a few shots from the garden of the Humble Administrator.

Pineapple Salad, Hold the Pineapples

When ordering dessert in Shanghai fore go the pineapple salad. What may sound like a delicious idea on the menu is in fact rather vile in real life. The only reason why it's called pineapple salad is because the mayonnaise creates the shape of a fake pineapple. Underneath the thick layer of mayo is a mound of red bean paste. I cried upon ingesting.

Dancing Egg on Nanjing St.

Every city has to have one! Yes, that is a dancing egg.

Suzhou Gardens

Here I am in the Suzhou gardens not only acting as a business woman tourist, but also practicing my Beijing Acrobatic skills. Who knew this was such a key component to doing business in China!

The Toy that Wouldn't Quit

My friend Kwang bought the most annoying toy while touring the Suzhou gardens. It was essentially a piece of string attached to a paper mache kitty head where if you pulled the string between your fingers made the most annoying bird sound. Did I mention the super annoying bird sound! For 3 Yuan or rather 50 cents this Korean prankster was in heaven. Even when the string finally broke on the bus the head was cleaverly transformed into a puppet. Some moves that guy has!

A Room with A View

This is the view from my room in Shanghai. Note I'm on the 17th floor and the windows really opened! Granted only about 6", but still things could have fallen out them.

Plastic Gloves Required

This is my friend Michael who upon ordering a burger from a coffee shop in the Beijing airport received a pair of plastic gloves to assist in his consumption. Amazing!

More Really Interesting Art

I thought these pieces were really interesting. The tree is wrapped in red yarn. There were people trying to pinata-style the hanging balls which made me want want to scold them, but alas I don't know how to scold in Chinese...yet!

A Great Moment Captured

What a great moment captured!

Pom-Pom Central

This artist sewed copious amounts of pom-poms together that created a carpet of sorts for a very large room. Weird, but cool.