The timetable says the train from Shanghai to Suzhou takes 25 minutes to cover the 80 km …and it did to the minute. The top speed of this train was 185 mph! They are just as sleek inside and spotlessly clean.

We had chosen Suzhou as it is close to Kunshan where Peter lives but also because it is a very attractive town renowned for its numerous canals and traditional gardens.

We stayed in another swish hotel with views across the city. It was the best yet.

It had a lounge area big enough for the hotel to set up an extra bed so that Peter could stay over and enjoy the Suzhou night life with us. It also had its’ own little office area which was great as we had never had time to sort anything out in the hubbub of the tour.

Our biggest thrill of course was to see Peter and where he lives and works in Kunshan. We were so looking forward to this after the trials and tribulations of his stolen passport – the nasty end to his visit when he was with us in Thailand. Well we had to wait as he was working the day we arrived so we went exploring in the town.

It was the weekend and the town was very busy, people thronged the streets and canal side walks. There were street hawkers selling everything from socks and toys to second-hand magazines and electronic goods. It was a complete bustle, even hairdressing was on offer:

We managed to visit 3 gardens in Suzhou and one in Kunshan whilst here, each a little different but all equally tranquil and perfectly maintained.  The first garden we eventually found after negotiating a maze of alleyways, thankfully not wide enough for cars but we had to keep our wits about us as the silent electric motorcycles whizz through these alleys. People knew what we were looking for without having to ask and showed us where to turn.The Mandarin instructions just whirled over our heads and the alleys seemed to get narrower and narrower. We almost walked past as the entrance was so modest. We entered the garden through an unimpressive courtyard then through a doorway and into a small wonderland.

The women in the pavilion were doing their knitting whilst drinking flasks of tea and watching the fish, such a peaceful and companionable way to spend an afternoon.

Our day finished in a road of restaurants very close to our hotel. We could have chosen from Chinese, Thai, Japanese or Taiwanese and from various specialisms such as chicken, duck, fish, dumplings, barbeque and on and on. We opted for a Chinese seafood restaurant and fortunately for us the menu had pictures. Our food was good but the best part was watching what everyone else was eating. 3 guys on the table in front of ours had a multitude of dishes and courses which looked wonderful and we resolved to try the ones that we might recognise again if we could. However, tiredness took hold so we went back to our his and hers bathroom and 8 foot wide bed to sleep the sleep,we were looking forward to tomorrow.