Day 11: Suzhou

This was my favorite place that we went.  We began the day at the Suzhou Museum and then braved the pouring rain to go to what Suzhou is famous for, its gardens.  One of the 3 gardens is 600 years old! To put that in perspective, the Missouri Botanical Gardens is only about 150 years old.

Outside of the museum

It rained the whole day but there were still people everywhere!

Again, notice all the people!

A lotus flower.  A few were just starting to bloom.

Bamboo

Many of the pathways were done with stones on their edges. You can see this in the Chinese Garden at MO Botanical Gardens as well.

Outside of the garden.

A moth lays eggs.

After the garden we went to a Silk Mill.  We learned the process of making silk which I attempted to take pictures of below.

Tiny silk worms.

A full grown silk worm.

A silk worm getting ready to make a cocoon.

The cocoon is made of silk.

Mulberry plants. Silk worms eat their leaves.

So soft

Silk factory

Unraveling the silk

Another way to use the silk.

Making duvets.

That afternoon we went on a boat ride down the canals of Suzhou.  Suzhou is considered the "Venice of the East."

We then went through a market that while fascinating smelled worse than anything I had ever smelled in my life.  Someone said it was because of the "stinky tofu" that you can buy.  I had no desire to try that.

Picking out dinner.

Eels

An overcast day in Suzhou