Asia Travel - Part 26

Comfort Food In The Heart Of China

by Brian K. Smith

The historic ancient capital of Xi’an in the centre of China is where the first emperor of China rose to power. Tourists from all over the globe come here to see the Terra-cotta warriors – dug up from a massive tomb that is an active archeology site. It is also the terminus for the famous Silk Road that was a trade route from China to the Mediterranean Sea, when a camel or horse was the everyday method of transportation.

In modern times part of that history still lives on Xi’an. Over the last decade the ancient city wall has been restored back to its splendor of over 600 years ago. Within the city walls lives a large population of Muslim descendants of the Silk Road days of trade. Along with their unique customs also comes their unique food.

In the Muslim quarter of Xi’an there are countless vendors selling BBQ meat, hand made noodles, and many dishes that use mutton or beef with eastern spices as the base. Fortunately their food spreads out across the city in the form of restaurants and kiosk. In the neighborhood near my hotel just a few blocks of walking took me to an amazing Muslim restaurant where the Chef serves a dish called du wah (pita bread soaked in lamb soup). It reminded me of poutine from our French heritage in Canada.

There is something about comfort food that is immediately recognizable – and this dish hit the spot. Made from pita bread, sweet potato noodles, mutton, and broth – rich with flavour and creamy in texture, it instantly makes you feel cozy and warm. Add some pickled garlic and pepper to your taste. The dish goes back to the days of the West Market at the terminus of the Silk Road. Hungry and exhausted traders arriving after months of travel could enjoy this dish in celebration of a long journey’s completion. Today a short bus ride from anywhere within the city walls will deliver you to this treat of the past. Add a local beer as your companion to this dish to complete the experience.

One Day Private Walking Tour in the Old City Area of Xi an

If You Go:

The restaurant is on No.38 Jian Guo Road, Xi’an, Tel:15029052923. Take No.43 or 45 or No. 612 or 300 bus from Drum Tower. Get off at Da Chai Shi bus station, go right till the first crossing, turn right on Jian Guo Road, go straight about two blocks. It is on your right.

Getting there by Air:
Beijing to Xi’an – There are more than 21 return flights a day served by such popular carriers such Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Sichuan Airlines and Hainan Airlines. The length of flight is approximately two hours.
Shanghai to Xi’an – Served by Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Sichuan Airlines and Hainan Airlines. More than 18 return flights a day, and its length is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes.

By Rail:
Beijing to Xi’an – HST (High Speed Train) from Beijing West Railway Station 4 hr 40 min. Ten each direction per day. Arrives at Xi’an North Railway Station
Shanghai – Xi’an – Only regular train travel to Xi’an Railway Station: No. 151, Huancheng Road, Xincheng District, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710005, China.

About the author:
Brian Smith has traveled to more than 41 countries around the world. His favorite destination in the last seven years has been Asia with seven trips to China, including Tibet. He is a seasoned adventurer and is co founder of Adventurocity with his business partner Rick Green. Their motto is ” Why take a trip when you can have an adventure”. www.adventurocity.com. Brian is a career professional photographer, with a Masters of Photographic Arts (PPOC). Twitter: @fotocraze

Photo credits:
All photos are by Brian K. Smith:
West Gate Plaza – Xi’an China
Restaurant entrance
Du Wah (Pita bread soaked in Lamb Soup)

Fushimi Inari: A Night With The Fox Spirits

Japan

by Susan Elizabeth Thomas

I rode a shaky, silent train from Kyoto, Japan to the mountain-side shrine, Fushimi Inari. The rays of the sun, dispersed over the rice fields, were ebbing to dark. I was arriving late, too late to meet my friend who had already trekked down the mountain. She had called me from the train stop.

“Be careful,” she warned. “ At this hour Fushimi Inari is completely empty and the shrine is full of fox demons.”

Fushimi Inari is a shine dedicated to Inari, the god of rice and his messenger the kitsune or fox. Fox demons are good omens in Japan, charged with warding off evil. These ethereal foxes can have multiple tails. More tails mean an older fox of greater power. Along with being messengers for Inari, who is often depicted as a large white fox, fox demons are tricksters. According to legend, foxes take humans forms for deceitful purposes. The cruel, proud and greedy were all targets. Often these crafty spirits became beautiful women. They would win the hearts of men and lure them from their families. Foxes were even known to bewitch humans, entering women under their fingernails or through their breasts.

I entered the shrine alone. Would the foxes curse me or bless me? I needed all the blessings I could get.

It was April 2011, the year of the Great Tohoku earthquake in Japan. I had fled from my home in Ibaraki, Japan not knowing when or if I would come back. There were mixed reports about the radiation levels. A nuclear plant one hour from where I lived narrowly escaped being over-flooded. I had whatever clothes I had hurriedly packed, nothing warm enough for the chilly, springtime weather. It had been a stressful, chaotic experience, but my time as a “radiation refugee” was over. Somehow this felt like end of my journey.

The very last rays of the sun created a shadow from the giant torii gate in front of the temple. Torii gates are the doorway from the secular world to the sacred. Traditionally, when you walk through a torii gate, you should stay to the side, leaving room for the god or goddess to pass through the middle. I passed beneath the tall pillars. I was now in the deity’s domain.

I stepped into the courtyard at the base of the temple. My friend was not wrong. The place was completely empty. Or was it? Like many holy places, the shrine had a feeling of presence, eyes watching. There was nothing malevolent. I felt curious and excited. It was like entering another world, a very orange world. Fushimi Inari has thousands of orange torii gates. The sea of orange gates seemed to glow in the last light. Two fox guardians stood at either side of the entrance. It was hard to believe they were not watching.

The whole shrine smelt of the evening and incense. I poured cold water from the small water basin onto my hands and into mouth. This is a Japanese ritual of purity, and I hoped that I was doing it correctly. I looked around. Hanging on lines, carefully folded, were the paper fortunes of hundreds of worshippers. Folding and hanging a paper fortune means you want it to come true.

Japanese shrines are full of wishes. Wishes could be rung into existence on large bells or painted on wooden tablets. They were strung on lines. Many buy wishes in the form of an omamori, a fabric charm with a sewn design. Others wish by tossing a coin into a container in front of an altar or statue and pulling a long rope bound to a bell. After, the tradition is to clap twice, bow twice and pray. Follow this with a final clap and bow.

There are two entrances and two exits for the torii-lined trek up the mountain. To me this looked like four possible entrances, like the beginning of a labyrinth. I picked a path on the left. As I made ascent, darkness hit. I climbed for hours. Once in a while, I would stop and make a wish. Clap, clap, bow, bow. Mostly I prayed for strength. It was a quality I sorely needed. The cold wind blew, but I felt warm and energized from the formidable climb. Again, I splashed my hands and mouth the with cold basin water.

I felt uneasy when I heard the screeches in the dark. Something rustled in the bushes. Could it be foxes? Fox demons? I know now that it must have been monkeys, but things seem different in the dark. Paranoid, I started thinking about Japanese mythology. Crazy thoughts sprang up before my logical brain could dismiss them. What if the fox spirits possess me?

Meeting a shrine worker did not calm my nerves. He seemed even more concerned for my safety than I was. As we parted, he said gravely in Japanese, “Be careful.”

I hurried up the mountain. At the top of the mountain, I saw Kyoto’s lights twinkling below. With the clinking of coins and the ringing of bells, I made more wishes. All around me, the fox statues regarded me with a calm, regal composure. I felt at peace with the spirits that inhabited my orange refuge. I had prayed for strength, and strength had come. My journey was over – not just my journey up Fushimi Inari. It was time for me to stop fleeing from the dangers of radiation. It was time to go home.

Private Tour: Arashiyama and Fushimi Inari Tour from Osaka

If You Go:

Fushimi Inari is easily accessible from Kyoto station. Take the JR Nara line to the JR Inari station at 140 yen each way. The shrine is open 24 hours a day, all year round, and the entrance is free.

Bring coins to make wishes. Making a wish with a five yen coin is a fitting amount. Making a wish with one yen is insulting, to both the Japanese and the spirits. Avoid going to Fushimi Inari, or Kyoto for that matter, during Golden Week. Golden Week is a series of holidays between April 29th and May 3rd. This is the most popular time of the year for vacationing. Everything will be packed, including trains and hotels. Accommodations may be more expensive. Another holiday season to avoid is Obon. This holiday season usually between August 8th and 16th, however it will vary on the region in Japan.

Getting there:
There are two international airports in Japan: Tokyo and Osaka. The airport in Osaka is physically closer to Kyoto. Limited express trains will take you from Osaka to Kyoto within an hour. Flights to Tokyo may be cheaper. A journey from Tokyo to Kyoto will involve taking a high speed train or bus from Tokyo to Kyoto. Times and costs for the additional transportation will vary.

Accomodations:
Kyoto has a variety of accommodation choices. There are youth hostels, hotels and ryokans, traditional Japanese bed and breakfasts. If you want the traditional Japanese experience, a stay in a ryokan is recommended. Beware, this may involve public bathing rooms.

Fushimi Inari and Sake Brewery Tour

About the author:
Susan “Eliza” Thomas is an avid traveler, writer and lover of cultural anthropology. After four years in Japan, she is currently living in France. She hopes to give readers cause to question, discuss and deepen their understanding of this ever changing world. You can follow her writing through her blog travelingmochi.wordpress.com/, Twitter @TravelingMochi or Facebook page.

All photos are by Susan Elizabeth Thomas:
My orange path through Fushimi Inari shrine
Fox fountain pouring the purifying water
If you hang your paper fortune on a line, your wish will come true
Tori-shaped wishes of good fortune
A fox statue watches quietly as I journey up the mountain

A Traditional Indian Wedding Spectacular

by Marsha Rexford

“We are wrens among peacocks” I whispered to Jean. Colorful saris swirl around us: brocades, silks, embellishments galore. Miles of pink and orange fabric drape the perimeter, festooned with garlands of golden zinnias and bouquets of pink roses. Miniature lights twinkle; aromas of spicy curries waft from the adjacent tent to mix with the fruity tobacco from the hookah bar. A techno beat draws guests to the dance floor, and our feet are tapping as we accept flutes of champagne. It is the 3rd night of festivities and we are only halfway through the wedding week.

We had accepted the gracious invitation of our dear friend and former professor, Mohan, to attend his niece’s wedding in New Delhi. He assured us that a traditional Indian wedding was an experience not to be missed. Typically lasting the better portion of a week, it is a lavish celebration. Family and friends come from all parts of the globe to commemorate the nuptials, as well as catch up with those living in distant lands. Parents plan and save for weddings from the time of their child’s birth. Marriages are frequently arranged by parents; however the couple are allowed the final choice.

It began with the first of two pujas, a traditional Hindu prayer ceremony. We sat cross-legged on floor among the other women, men around the outside and family members toward the front. There was a small shrine, and gifts of fruits and sweets were placed among the candles. We were handed small prayer books (quite optimistically as they were printed in Hindi) and shown where to join in. The air was thick with incense as the chanting, clapping and singing continued. It was an easy atmosphere, with folks moving about the room, heads huddled in conversation, laughter rising to meet the music. The bride and other young girls twirl in joyous dance. We feel like voyeurs in this unfamiliar setting, although our presence was greeted with smiles and we were beckoned to join the dance. Into the tent draped with turquoise and white fabric, twinkling lights and flower garlands for the reception to follow: food stations all around with an astounding array of tasty treats. Tonight’s menu is vegetarian since it is part of the religious ceremony: spicy curries, grilled skewers of cheese, chick pea fritters, freshly made naan and chapati filled with an awesome mixture, tomato soup, cucumbers,carrots, mangoes…we cannot possibly sample everything but we save room for our favorite pistachio kulfi (ice cream).

The official engagement party was to begin at 8 pm; we arrived at 10pm, about the same as the hosting groom’s family. Again it is over-the-top decor, flowers and twinkle lights, food galore, and an open bar. The bride’s family present gifts of jewelry, cash and sweets; a Hindu pundit (priest) blesses gifts and the exchange of rings, which seemed a bit perfunctory given all the glitz. The band cranks up and dancing begins. Jean is a desired dance partner and the only female at the hookah station. We leave exhausted at 3 am, and there are small children still dancing.

Our hennaed hands are dark, dramatic souvenirs of the mehndi. Held in the front courtyard of the bride’s parents’ home, the henna application is an informal family event. People move in and out of the house, children play, delicious smells come from the kitchen–lamb kabobs and goat curry. We sip chilled mango juice as we wait our turn with the henna artists; one of the aunts plays a drum and soft singing follows. What a privilege it has been, being folded into the family. At last night’s party, we were asked if we were relatives from Kabul! Tonight is another twinkly function of food, drinks, flowers, hookah…is that Mohan in a conga line with a basket on his head? He deems it the “Punjab Soul Train”.

We are introduced to IST: Indian Standard Time. Nothing starts on time, everything takes longer than expected, punctuality is not a prized virtue. The official wedding day has arrived. Traffic is heinous, so we are over two hours late. However, we are among the first of the 800 or so guests to trickle in. The decor of flowers, fabric and lights is amplified for tonight; an army of waiters laden with trays of hot hors d’oeuvres and drinks resembling mojitos descend as we enter. A great ruckus draws us back outside; the groom and his family have arrived.

Heralded by drums, brass band, torches and banners hoisted,a clapping crowd usher in the horse drawn carriage bearing the groom. Father of the bride greets father of the groom; uncles-uncles; brothers-brothers. Eventually everyone is back inside, where the bride proceeds under a canopy held by her brother and cousins, with female relatives behind. She is stunning and her costume must weigh 25 pounds. The couple stand on an elevated dais, before a purple velvet settee. Photographers begin a lengthy session. I admired the couple’s stamina. It will be dawn before the ceremony concludes.

Visit Taj Mahal from Delhi by Car

If You Go:

♦ Best time is November-March to avoid oppressive heat and monsoons. January is a popular wedding month.
♦ Pack your patience–Delhi is chaotic!
♦ Side trips to Agra/Taj Mahal and Jaipur are easily made from Delhi.
By Train: indiarailinfo.com
By Plane: airindia.in

About the author:
Marsha Rexford is a veteran traveler with a special fondness for the road less traveled, whether on foot, bicycle or the occasional pack animal. She is transitioning from a career in healthcare to free lance writing. Currently living in North Carolina, she can be reached at mrexford1@carolina.rr.com

All photos are by Marsha Rexford except #4 by Jean Wiegand:
Entrance to puja reception
Entrance to wedding venue
Henna application at mehndi
Women of all ages participate in mehndi
Bride with her family

A Walk With The Kobo Daishi

Koyasan, Japan

by Anne Harrison

At the tail end of a Japanese summer, my daughter walked hand-in-hand with the Kobo Daishi, a monk who has spent the last thousand years waiting for the Buddha of the Future.

Dusk fell as we wound through a cypress grove filled with some half a million graves. The faithful have been buried here since the Kobo Daishi died in 835 AD. Famed as a poet, painter and calligrapher, and for bringing Shingon Buddhism to Japan, the Kobo Dashi is of the most revered figures in Japanese history. He sits in repose in his mausoleum, the Oko-in, where monks still bring him food twice a day.

A mist rolled down from the mountains, bringing with it a sea of mosquitoes; we beat a hasty retreat, postponing enlightenment until daylight.

Sacred even before the Daishi established his monastic retreat here in 816, Koyasan is only two hours by train from Osaka. Speeding through the city’s outskirts, the futuristic landscape morphed into a maze of alleyways and traditional wooden houses, with vegetable plots and tiny rice paddies filling every spare space. Then the land opened into farmland, with the occasional dots of a village or even a small town.

The train came to an unexpected stop, and as everyone else melted into the countryside we were left standing on a deserted station. We dripped with sweat. Farmers with conical straw hats worked fields cultivated for centuries. It was a scene lifted straight from the anime of Hayao Miyazaki (famous for classics such as Spirited Away and My Friend Totoro).

Fortunately, a train arrived before we had emptied the ubiquitous vending machine of offerings. As the land climbed, the summer heat faded. Fruit trees heavy with blossom became primeval forests of pine and cypress. At Gokuraku-bashi Station, (where the train-line ends), monks, pilgrims and tourists alike were ushered into a cable car; it leapt into a wall of green, carrying us to the top of the Holy Mountain.

Buses transport everyone to the centre of town – including the monks with their robes of black covered with saffron shawls, for walking from the station is forbidden. The road pottered through the trees, its edge marked by moss-covered rocks. Everything held the colour of dark moss or grey stone; the trees, the road, the view down the mountain, even the air. As a result everything looked a little hazy, as if we saw things from a distant, slower time.

Despite both its age and being listed as a World Heritage site, Koyasan remains a lively mix of Buddhist monasteries, sun-drenched cypress groves and school kids running past workshops on their way home. In the main street stand supermarkets, restaurants, ceramic shops, even a chemist to sell sunblock and mosquito repellent. (The lady in the tourist office kindly wrote the names in Japanese for us, as the pharmacist spoke no English. His shop was filled with all manner of bottles housing dried flora and fauna.)

The journey with the Kobo Dashi begins at a stone basin. Ubiquitous to Japanese temples, these basins overflow with running water, usually from a nearby stream. After ladling icy water over our hands, we bowed on crossing the graceful Ichinohashi Bridge; the Kobo Daishi then joined us. A lady in the shop opposite smiled and waved. The path then winds through the Okunoin, a grove of cypress and tombs. Tiny tracks stray from the main walkway, leading to even more tombs hidden in dells and forgotten grottos. The only sound was the chirping of crickets, or the ring of bells as white-robe pilgrims passed. Many of the tombs are simple stone plaques or wooden markers; others are the enormous mausoleums of shoguns. Animal shaped stones are popular, often with red cloths or little aprons tied around them.

Moss has eroded many of the markings. Shafts of sunlight tumbled through the ancient trees, and mites danced in the sunbeams. We walked through streams of light and shadow. The dead may have been waiting here for over a thousand years, but in one section workmen busily repainted markers while at another grave a monk chanted a service as pilgrims with their white robes and staves of bells walked by.

After a thirty-minute stroll, the track opens onto Oko-in, the Kobo Daishi’s temple. Suddenly the place bustles, for another path (almost a road) comes straight from the huge car park where the daily buses grind to a halt, delivering tourists intent on achieving enlightenment in a few hours. On this walkway can be found many gaudy (and theologically suspect) edifices, such as the White Ant Memorial, built as a guilt offering by a pesticide company.

All this chaos is forgotten in the temple area. A stone bridge arches over the Takugawa River, which is dotted with wooden memorials for those who have drowned. Pilgrims ladled water over huge Jizo statues in offering for the dead before dedicating the ashes of loved ones. Candles and incense saturate the air, and many waft the fumes over themselves for spiritual and bodily well-being.

The Oko-in is truly the heart of Koyasan. A huge wooden temple, it’s tranquillity defies the crowds. Alone with the Daishi, we sat on some reserved wooden benches to spend awhile contemplating the road to Nirvana. Nearby is the Hall of 3000 Lanterns (the Toro-do), where two lamps have burned for over a thousand years without the need for fresh oil. Another hall houses Buddhist writings brought to Koyasan by Tripitata, the prince of Monkey fame.

Despite hosting over a million pilgrims a year, Koyasan remains a spiritual place. Most leave by mid-afternoon, and by evening we walked deserted streets. Many of the temples lie hidden behind wooden gates and guarded by stone lions, with the occasional glimpse of a balcony.

Some fifty of the temples on the mountain offer shukubo, or temple lodging. A bamboo screen in our room opened onto a garden of contemplation; a sea of moss-covered rocks and sculptured azalea bushes, with white pebbles scattered around the larger stepping-stones. A stone lantern stood in one corner, as if it had rested there for centuries.

A deep bell summoned us from sleep, and the chanting of the monks flowed from the centuries-old temple into the mist of dawn. The flames of their offerings shot into the air, the light licking the wooden walls (perhaps the reason why only one hundred of the original thousand temples remain). Afterwards, an elderly monk explained the service in halting English. This was followed by a traditional Japanese breakfast.

A bus ride back to the station, then the cable-car back down the hill; it felt as if we were slowly returning from some distant land to the chaos of the present.

Mt Koya Day Trip from Osaka Including Okunoin and Danjo Garan Temples

If You Go:

Arriving: Koyasan can be reached by train on the Nankai line from Osaka. This takes around two hours. A cable car completes the journey. The Tourist Information Centre is in the centre of town, on the main street. They have numerous maps, including walking trails, information on the various temples and sights, and can help with accommodation. Public phones are outside.

Accommodation: Temple lodging can be organised at the Tourist Information Centre. The youth hostel (offering traditional style accommodation) is a ten-minute walk from the Tourist Information Centre, with a bus stop nearby.

Dining: There are numerous restaurants of all price ranges, with plastic models in the window displaying the food on offer. There is also a supermarket for self-catering.

Helpful websites:
♦ Japan National Tourism Organization
♦ Temple Lodging Japan: A guide to temple lodging across Japan

About the author:
Anne Harrison lives with her husband, two children and numerous pets on the Central Coast, NSW. Her jobs include wife, mother, doctor, farmer and local witch doctor – covering anything from delivering alpacas to treating kids who have fallen head first into the washing machine. Her fiction has been published in Australian literary magazines, and has been placed in regional literary competitions. Her non-fiction has been published in medical and travel journals. Her ambition is to be 80 and happy. Her writings are available at anneharrison.com.au and anneharrison.hubpages.com

All photos are by Anne Harrison:
An ancient temple in Koyasan
Graves hidden amongst the trees
A deserted train station
A temple path, Koyasan
The Okunoin, a grove of cypress and tombs

A Day Trip Through Paradise

Xuan Miao, China

by Troy Herrick

Few places on earth are as diverse and spectacular as historic Suzhou (pronounced “Sue Joe”). Suzhou is known as the Water City. Marco Polo himself named it “the Venice of the East” because of its canal system. Suzhou is also the Garden City and once had over 100 classical Chinese gardens of which only 69 now remain. Bind these two together with silk as Suzhou is also the City of Silk due of its 2500 year history of silk-making and you have what the Chinese refer to as “paradise on earth”.

You can visit this paradise as a day trip from nearby Shanghai by means of the bullet train or through an organized tour. Where do you begin? You go straight to the Master of Nets Garden.

The Master of Nets Garden (Wang Shi Yuan)

Originally laid out in 1140 CE during the Song Dynasty, this garden was abandoned for six centuries before being restored in 1770 by a retired official in the Emperor’s court. This frustrated official indicated that he would rather be a fisherman than a bureaucrat which is how this garden derives its name – Master of Nets Garden. This garden of earthly delights is hidden inside the owner’s yard and was intended for his own pleasure.

Located off of a blind alley to the south, you pass over a high threshold, designed to keep evil spirits out, at the front door. If you didn’t know you were entering the premises of an important person, the gateway, flanked by enormous carved stone blocks, should have tipped you off. Even if this was still too subtle, passing into the Sedan Chair Hall with its 500 kilogram mahogany seat is a little more obvious.

Grace, our tour guide, leads us into the family residence on the eastern side of the property. The Reception Hall is for more formal gatherings and where the family received people who were not close friends. Laid out according to Confucius’ teachings, men were situated on the left side of the room and women were on the right. The hosts were seated in chairs along the back wall. Grace pointed out that all of the buildings were situated so that you could easily access the garden from any room on the property. Furthermore, if you carefully studied the delicate lattice grating on the windows, you would find that no pattern is ever repeated on the property.

The next room, the Beauty Within Reach Tower, was for entertaining close friends and individuals of higher social status. If games and songs were not sufficient, guests could recline on a divan and smoke opium to while away the hours in a lotus dream.

Grace mentioned that neighboring families would compete for the best garden. If one family had a pavilion constructed for a particular purpose like music or art, the other families, not to be outdone, would do the same and then downplay its significance.

Exiting this room, you find a courtyard with inlaid rock designed like a bat, the symbol of happiness in China. A nearby magnolia tree was displayed in its full splendor, blooming with white flowers, at the time of our visit.

Passing into the next building on the north side of the garden, you find the Study of the Ethereal, a room reserved for schooling. Private teachers and tutors were invited here not only for the children’s education but that of the owner as well. Looking at the wall, you find shelves filled with various tomes up to 15 centimeters thick.

After viewing this room, you have the opportunity to wander around the garden. On the path just outside, you may wish to sit on one of the benches along the water and admire the intricately balanced design of your peaceful surroundings. Although the Master of Nets is the smallest of all Suzhou’s gardens, the subtle combination of buildings, rocks, water and plants create an illusion of spaciousness, tranquility and harmony that you instantly feel as you walk down its zig zag pathways. At the center of the garden you find a small pond about 440 square meters filled with lotus leaves and a school of large orange-colored carp who seem oblivious to the stresses of the outside world.

Rock sculptures abound at strategic locations around the pond. Nature creates the Swiss-cheese-like limestone boulders in the local rivers and man arranges them into artistic structures. Grace tells us that the most valuable boulders not only have unusual shapes but the most holes in them. The number of holes is determined by placing the large stones inside a fire and having the smoke pass through them.

On the east side of the pond, you find the hexagonal Pavilion for the Advent of the Moon and Wind whose image reflects off the calm water. Find your way there by crossing the narrow one-foot wide bridge but be careful or you will become one with the pond.

After you re-cross the bridge, double back toward the northwest corner of the garden and enter the Late Spring Study. Inside you find Ming Dynasty period mahogany furnishings, lanterns and scrolls. A replica of this room may be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. You will also find other art works – silk pictures – for sale in some of the pavilions on your way out as a reminder that you that you are in the City of Silk.

After you make your way to the exit at the front door of the garden, travel to your next destination which is gondola ride on the oldest and longest man-made water way in the world – the Grand Canal.

A Gondola Ride on the Grand Canal

The Grand Canal, flowing from Beijing to Hangzhou, is 1,795 kilometers long. Segments of the Grand Canal were started as early as 496 BCE but it was only joined into one long artery during the Sui Dynasty (581-618 CE). Over the subsequent centuries, parts of the canal fell into disuse and became blocked up so it is not longer possible to travel to Beijing by water. Fortunately for you the Suzhou segment remains intact and the historic section of the city is still accessible by water. This is your opportunity to enjoy a 40 minute boat ride through some of the most scenic sections of this ancient city.

An elderly river pilot helps us down into his weathered, light brown boat and directs us inside a glassed-in seating area. Remaining outside at the stern, he propels the boat manually with a single oar. I wondered how a man of his age could pilot a craft like this all day just to make a living but from where I sat, he seemed to direct the gondola effortlessly. All the same, he was quite happy to let some of the passengers pilot the boat at times.

Over the course of our gondola ride, the width of the canal varied from about 1.5 to 6 meters wide. Along the route, the height of the greyish side walls varied. In some locations, these consisted of the 5 meter high back walls of stone homes that were over 450 years old. Along the route I began to understand how a rat feels as it runs through a maze. This feeling quickly vanished as we passed under the first of several elegant stone pedestrian bridges spanning the canal.

An occasional pathway and set of stairs between the houses allowed the locals to fish down at the water’s edge. As we passed, two boys were casting their fishing lines into the murky greenish brown water. At other locations along the canal, vendors could be seen hawking their goods in small plazas at the top of the wall, strategically situated to take full advantage of the view and the customers who gathered to enjoy it.

As the end of our gondola tour approached, our river pilot suddenly broke out in song like his Venetian counter-part. He may have been singing Chinese opera or local folk songs, I’ll never know, but as he concluded, we arrived at the dock. We disembarked from the boat and began the short walk to our final destination – the Temple of Mystery.

The Temple of Mystery (Xuan Miao Temple)

[TOP PHOTO] No trip through an earthly paradise would be complete without visiting at least one temple. The Taoist Temple of Mystery, first established in 276 CE, is more appropriately named the “Mysterious Essence Temple” perhaps because of the smell of incense being burned. Arriving on site, your first destination is the Hall of Three Purities (San Qing Dian) with its yellow walls capped by a double roof each with upturned eaves, dating to 1181 CE.

Passing through the front entrance, you come across an altar filled with offerings of apples and oranges. Worshippers kneel on cushions and bow to various statues while at the same time being immersed in the smell of burning incense.

The three main gods for which the hall is named are those facing you in the center of the room as you enter; the solemn, imposing Yu Qing (Jade Pure), Shang Qing (Upper Pure) and Tai Qing (Great Pure). Your eyes are drawn to a large black tablet to the left and behind the trinity with the engraved with the figure of Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism.

Walking around the hall, you might be overwhelmed by the number of Taoist gods sizing you up from their glassed-in places of honor. A number of these gods carry traditional Chinese weapons so you may wish to stay on their good side. All of the statues in the temple are made from clay and then covered in gold.

Exiting the Hall of Three Purities, you now have the opportunity to visit a number of lesser halls on site dedicated to individual Taoist gods such as the god of careers who determines your ideal career or the god of wealth whose own hall of worship seems to be set in the midst of prosperity. If you haven’t noticed it already, the Temple of Mystery is situated in the center of a great bazaar. This shopping area begins your transition from paradise back into the real world. At this point, you may wish to take some time to wander around and find that perfect souvenir.

Your day trip through paradise ends when you exit the temple grounds. However believing that paradise is merely a state of mind will serve you well when you are caught up in heavy traffic on your return to Shanghai.

Private Suzhou Day Tour: Culture and Taste of Suzhou

If You Go:

♦ Suzhou is approximately 81 km northwest of Shanghai.

♦ The Master of Nets Garden (Wang Shi Yuan) is in a narrow alley just off Shi Quan Jie. Take bus bus no. 55, 202, 529, 811 or 931 and get off at Wang Shi Yuan Station. Admission is 40 Yuan.

♦ Your boat ride starts from the canal south of the train station. Depart from the Foreign Travellers Transportation Company Pier on Chenzhan Lu. The cost was 130 Yuan per gondola at the time of my visit for a 45 minute ride but prices may vary.

♦ The Temple of Mystery is located at Tuan Qian Jie. Admission is 10 Yuan.

Private 2-Day Shanghai and Suzhou Trip by High Speed Train from Beijing

About the author:
Troy Herrick, a freelance travel writer, has traveled extensively in North America, the Caribbean, Europe and parts of South America. His articles have appeared in Live Life Travel, International Living, Offbeat Travel and Travel Thru History Magazines. Plan your vacation at his website www.plan-a-dream-trip.com

Photographs:
Top photo of Xuan Miao Temple by Gisling / CC BY-SA
All other photos are by Diane Gagnon, a freelance photographer who has has traveled extensively in North America, the Caribbean, Europe and parts of South America. Her photographs have accompanied Troy Herrick’s articles in Live Life Travel, Offbeat Travel and Travel Thru History Magazines.