From Beijing we caught a shuttle flight to Shanghai to continue the China city tour. We continued our recent theme of friendly stays by this time staying with a friend from Danville and his family. The last time I saw Travis was probably the ’96 DHS graduation, and this being some time later, he now has a wife, two kids, and three cats. All were extremely friendly hosts and made visiting the bustling city much easier. We kicked off our one full touring day in Shanghai by heading to a local park to watch some local daily exercise routines. Forget the stairmaster, nautilus and dumbbells, the locals exercise by organizing into groups and practicing Tai Chi on the sidewalks of the park. We then visited the Bund river area and attempted to find some bargains at a market only to be scolded with a woman yielding a calculator like a club. The long sightseeing day closed with an entertaining Shanghai acrobatics show with Travis and Nicole.
From Shanghai we went on an overnight trip to the town of Suzhou about an hour away by train. This old town has been called the “Venice of China.” The nickname is pretty generous for Suzhou, but we had a great time touring around the smaller streets and canals by bike for the day. This may have also been the point where we reached our breaking point of climbing tall religious monuments. “If I have to climb one more tower…”
The view from a river cruise of the Bund. 
One of many workout groups. Seemed as normal as drinking a cup of coffee in the morning.
Big Buddha and his tower. No elevators in this one.
The view from a river cruise of the Bund. 
One of many workout groups. Seemed as normal as drinking a cup of coffee in the morning.
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