Where East Meets West or Where the Hell are We?

It's around 10:00 pm and just checked into our room in Wuzhen. Knotty pine paneling on walls and ceiling, flat screen TV and computer... can't wait to catch up on my Chinese soaps! Bathroom has shower coming out of wall right across from toilet. No partition so when shower is used water is all over the floor around the toilet and sink. There is a drain in the floor, but the water doesn't appear to be disappearing quickly. Bottom line... be careful if you need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, so you don't slip. No toilet paper that I can locate.



No towels, but on request received two tiny hand towels, green and pink. A blue thermos of hot water, but no tea bags. People must enjoy a cup of hot water before sleeping, or bring their own tea bags!

Elizabeth and I are sharing a nice queen size bed. We opted to share the bed versus having our own beds in order to have a room with a view. Can't tell what the view is as the windows appear to be all boarded up for the night, but I'm confident that in the morning, we will enjoy some picturesque view. (John understands the importance of a room with a view!)

Just woke up and opened the window...


Tracy is turning into a stellar guide. She is continually counting to make certain that all 7 of her chicks are close by. When called she repllies in her sweet little voice,"I'm here. I'm here."

We enjoyed a great late lunch this afternoon. I don't know if we were just so hungry, or if the food was that delicious, but it tasted great. I think it was a duck breast wrapped in bamboo leaves and simmered in a dark, savory broth. Before serving, the cook removed the leaves and cut the meat into about 8 juicy squares. We ordered rice and and something that looked like tabouli, but was a mixture of finly chopped green herbs and tiny pieces of tofu. Polished it all off with, guess what? You've got it... another beer... I must say the beer here is very light, almost like drinking a watered down version of Coors Light! (Best meal to date!)





Wuzhen is divided into the East and the West. This sounds fairly straight forward. However, it is anything but simple. I know we got off the bus in the East. A man from the hotel met us, had us pile into a van which then dropped us off in front of a tiny restaurant in the East. This area contains lots of little shops. He said we could leave our suitcases in the restaurant. We were a bit confused as to why we were not going to the hotel. Tracy explained that to go to our hotel we would have to pay 150 RMB because it was in the East. If we waited until after 9:30 p.m., we could enter the East at no charge. A few minutes later, the man took off on a motorcycle with our bags. Tracy explained that he was taking them to the hotel. "Where are we now?" "We are in the East." It was a perfect Chinese version of "Who's on First" I kid you not. Usually I can figure out what people are trying to explain, but this was beyond me. In desperation, Dave suggested we go talk to the people who sell tickets to get into the East to find out where in the heck we were! Then Estelle (the other student guide) set off at a very determined pace and we all followed. About 10 minutes later, I stopped Tracy and asked her where we were going. "We are going to the West." What's in the West?" "I don't really know. I have never been here!" Well Estelle, knew what she was doing.... We followed her toward the sun setting in the West to get to the West... and lo and behold there was a big arch entrance that welcomed us to the West... and this area is a treasure. A bit like Chinese Epcot Center.



Will write more about the Wuzhen Experience, both West and East, tomorrow! Good Night from the East!

Joan
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Location:Wuzhen: Small air conditioned room overlooking old canal