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Dec. 9th, 2006 10:39 pm
wu xi, china
Everyone slept on the ride to Wu Xi. I think we were all just really tired, after climbing the Great Wall, and the millions of steps.
The first stop was yet another government-sponsored jade shop. The tour-enforced shopping gets old pretty quickly. Usually there is someone who introduces the subject and educates us on possible things we might not know about said topic, then the person transforms from educator into salesperson, and tells us exactly what kind of bargain we're getting, even though what we're paying is definitely more than what we would pay outside of the tour. We are warned that since the prices have been discounted already that we can't and shouldn't try to bargain, but people do it anyway, and sometimes they get away with it. Once the pitch is done, then the madness ensues with the tourists aiming to find some bargains for their relatives and friends, and salespeople being as pushy as they possibly can. It usually takes about an hour to an hour and a half. Towards the end we are instructed to go to the restroom, since it will be cleaner than the next site we're going to.
Throughout the trip, bathrooms become dicier and dicier. Some bathrooms have only the flat toilets, which my sisters and I deemed the "squatting" toilets, and occasionally at the end there will be one American-style toilet, which we call "sitting". We would ask each other as each took their turn, "Squatting or sitting?" and that would determine our plan of action. Also, a lot of places had no soap, so I strongly recommend bringing some anti-bacterial hand gel if you go.
Our stop that day was a former judge's house. Or rather, large mansion. It was hundreds of years old and gorgeous, and looks exactly like it does in Chinese period pieces. It also had a chrysanthemum garden. In a few rooms we were treated to live classical music from teenage kids in period clothes. When we walked past them I spotted their sneakers.
In the afternoon we went to TaiHu, which I guess would be translated as "Great Lake". It's a very large, but shallow lake where large ships are barred. It's so wide that we can't even see across to the other side, almost feels like standing at an ocean's coastline. The lake is used to raise oysters and fish - "Taihu pearls" are famous for their beauty.
The last stop was another government-sponsored tourist stop. Except I actually liked this one. What they were selling were "purple sand" teapots. At first I misheard and thought they were talking about cast-iron teapots, since the pitchman said that you can't wash these teapots with soap, and they pick up the flavor of the tea you put in. But they are "purple sand" teapots, and you can only put in one type of tea per teapot. You can leave in the tea leaves until the next day and the tea you brew the next day with the old tea leaves will taste just as good as the first day. Over time, you won't even have to put tea leaves in.
I didn't buy a teapot. I was tired and grumpy and really indecisive. If anyone I know decides to head to Wu Xi, buy one for me?
The first stop was yet another government-sponsored jade shop. The tour-enforced shopping gets old pretty quickly. Usually there is someone who introduces the subject and educates us on possible things we might not know about said topic, then the person transforms from educator into salesperson, and tells us exactly what kind of bargain we're getting, even though what we're paying is definitely more than what we would pay outside of the tour. We are warned that since the prices have been discounted already that we can't and shouldn't try to bargain, but people do it anyway, and sometimes they get away with it. Once the pitch is done, then the madness ensues with the tourists aiming to find some bargains for their relatives and friends, and salespeople being as pushy as they possibly can. It usually takes about an hour to an hour and a half. Towards the end we are instructed to go to the restroom, since it will be cleaner than the next site we're going to.
Throughout the trip, bathrooms become dicier and dicier. Some bathrooms have only the flat toilets, which my sisters and I deemed the "squatting" toilets, and occasionally at the end there will be one American-style toilet, which we call "sitting". We would ask each other as each took their turn, "Squatting or sitting?" and that would determine our plan of action. Also, a lot of places had no soap, so I strongly recommend bringing some anti-bacterial hand gel if you go.
Our stop that day was a former judge's house. Or rather, large mansion. It was hundreds of years old and gorgeous, and looks exactly like it does in Chinese period pieces. It also had a chrysanthemum garden. In a few rooms we were treated to live classical music from teenage kids in period clothes. When we walked past them I spotted their sneakers.
In the afternoon we went to TaiHu, which I guess would be translated as "Great Lake". It's a very large, but shallow lake where large ships are barred. It's so wide that we can't even see across to the other side, almost feels like standing at an ocean's coastline. The lake is used to raise oysters and fish - "Taihu pearls" are famous for their beauty.
The last stop was another government-sponsored tourist stop. Except I actually liked this one. What they were selling were "purple sand" teapots. At first I misheard and thought they were talking about cast-iron teapots, since the pitchman said that you can't wash these teapots with soap, and they pick up the flavor of the tea you put in. But they are "purple sand" teapots, and you can only put in one type of tea per teapot. You can leave in the tea leaves until the next day and the tea you brew the next day with the old tea leaves will taste just as good as the first day. Over time, you won't even have to put tea leaves in.
I didn't buy a teapot. I was tired and grumpy and really indecisive. If anyone I know decides to head to Wu Xi, buy one for me?
