Suzhou: So Good, I'm Never Going Back. #chinatravel
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The gardens are much better than Shantang Street and Pingjiang Road. Those places are what truly ruin the experience – so crowded you can smell everyone's sweat. They're just commercial streets full of food stalls.
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This itinerary isn't great.
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So true.
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Hey girl, how was your hotel?
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It was just okay. It's at a traffic light intersection, so I often had to walk a fair bit to get around.
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I went to Suzhou on the 26th. Even though it rained and was crowded, I absolutely loved the city. As someone from Shandong, I'm obsessed with their Suzhou-style mung bean soup! I definitely want to go back.
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Where is this?
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It rained for 20 days straight, and now it feels like all that moisture is being 'boiled off' by intense heat. I'm practically melting!
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So, are we the pork belly being braised now?
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Personally, Suzhou was my worst travel experience. The main issue was encountering some rather ill-tempered people. The gardens felt quite similar to each other, and without renting an audio guide, you're left clueless as there are no explanations. The Suzhou Museum is also quite small. Pingjiang Road and Shantang Street are just filled with generic snacks you can find anywhere, and the streets are packed with vendors. The infrastructure feels dated. Today, for instance, the Suzhou Railway Station was incredibly hot, with only vents and large fans. But the biggest factor was the extreme heat. Perhaps visiting in spring would offer a better experience. (This is just my personal opinion, no offense intended.)
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Suzhou is incredibly hot; even the ground feels scorching. My friend and I both got sunburned.
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On the first day, you should check out Pingjiang Road. I wouldn't really recommend the Twin Pagodas, though. On the second day, visit Xiyuan Temple, then head to Shantang Street, and perhaps Jinji Lake in the evening. Finding the subway should be pretty straightforward.
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I'm terrible with directions.