So even though Suzhou has 6 million people here you can go to places where there are hardly any people. There are new developments everywhere. I went for a drive the other day and found a new Harley Davidson bike shop. Motorbikes are banned most places in the city so I was surprised to find a shop selling them as you don’t see motorbikes being sold anywhere in Suzhou.
The transport system at the moment is very congested. A metro is being built so there are lots of roadwork’s going on. There are lots of ways to get around the city though - bus, taxi, private hire, bicycle but the best way to get around the city is by Electric Bike. You can buy all shapes, sizes and speeds. I have one that looks like a moped and it goes pretty fast. I couldn’t live without it. I can get to places quickly without getting stuck in traffic. They are quite cheap as well; they range from about £140 - £300. You can get some super e-bikes for anything up to a £1000 but they are illegal as they go too fast. Taxis are pretty cheap, start on the meter at £1 and if you’re not going too far, the journey will only cost you £1. Usually to get from one side of the city to the other can cost you between £3-£5.
Buses cost 10-60pence. Depending if they have air-con or where they are going.
Anyway so once you have figured out how you’re going to get around the city. You need to decide where you’re going. There is allot to see and do.
Suzhou has lots of lakes and gardens. Suzhou is called the Venice of the East as Suzhou and the surrounding towns have allot of canals and lakes. It is also famous for its ancient gardens. These are why lots of tourist come to Suzhou. But living a normal day to day life in Suzhou, you don’t see many other foreigners on your travels. The tourists just hang out in the gardens and old streets.
There are a couple of old streets in Suzhou that tourists like to walk along. They are full of bars, cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, photography studios, etc...
You can play at the 2 amusement parks. One has been around for a long time and one was completed last year. They now have a Suzhou Eye (Same as the London Eye). There is a Cowboy theme park where you can go horse riding, go karting, archery, rock climbing and much more.
You can’t really get bored here as there is so much to fill your time.
A few things to do around Suzhou
Eating - there is a huge range of restaurants in Suzhou. Golfzon - Virtual Golf Golf Sailing Watersports Gardens Bowling Kayaking Cowboy Country Park - Horse Riding, Go Karting, Archery and much more Rocking climbing Shopping Silk Factory Aquarium Waterpark Amusement park SND & SIP Tianping Mountain Riding a tandem/multi-person bike around Jinji Hu Baitang Arboretum Picking fruit at Xi Mountain and visiting the cave Learning mahjong (There are free classes at a school in the SND) Learning tai chi Learning Chinese! Salsa dancing Live bands Boat ride around the canal Massage & relaxation Theatre on Jinji Lake Chinese Theatre Tea House Sports The Expat club meetings every other Friday night!
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Suzhou sounds great! I'm planning on going to China with the i to i internship and listed Suzhou as my first preference. Your post make me even more excited about the prospect of teaching in Suzhou!!
Hel.o what country are you teaching in please I have all but done my 120 hour TEFL course nowlast module and that is nearly done, so here I ccome.
Ray..in Norwich city UK
Teaching is great. I have been here for nearly 4 years now. The students that I started with when I started are still my students now. The parents really like teachers that stick around for a long time. Also the school loves it as they dont have to look for teachers all the time. I was lucky to find such a great school first time.
We don't have to do any lesson planning as the teaching assistants do it for us so we can just take a quick look before the class starts and away we go. Its easy after you get to know the books and have taught them a few times. Each time getting better.
Some classes are better than other. It really depends on what the students are like in the class. You just have to take the bad with the good.
Suzhou sounds great. You won't be running out of things to do any time soon then! How is the teaching going?
Keep us posted on how you get on :-)
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