Tagged with Suzhou

Suzhou Bookworm’s East & West Music Fest

I swear, this town gets a little bit more livable every day. I mean, we’ve got an Irish Pub that serves Guinness on tap, we’ve got one, two, three places that I can get a taco, we’ve a cafe/bookshop/lending library loaded to the rafters with English-language books, we’ve got an English-language movie cinema playing Iron …

May 8, 2008
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Bookworm Lit Fest Hits Suzhou

Suzhou’s newest hot spot is undeniably The Bookworm. Part café, part library, part restaurant, part bar and part bookshop; it’s not hard to see why the place has quickly become a refuge for many a Suzhou expat. On top of its boatload of English-language books, the cozy two-storey canal-side venue now has the distinction of …

March 6, 2008
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My Favourite (Suzhou) Blogs

It used to be that I’d skim 10-20 blogs a day, with even more sitting in my feed reader should I have the extra time. I love blogs, love blogging and love the China blogsphere. In fact, it was just that love for it all that led me to setup the Hao Hao Report, a …

March 3, 2008
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Suzhou makes list of most expensive cities

According to a survey by ECA International Suzhou has been ranked as the 20th most costly Asian city for expats to live in. The list; which puts Suzhou slightly ahead of Xi’An, Wuhan and Nanjing and behind Dalian, Chengdu and Chongqing; lists both Beijing and Shanghai in the top 10 (#7 and #8 respectively). A …

November 27, 2007
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English-language yoga lessons in Suzhou

Looking to learn yoga in Suzhou, but not sure where to find a private teacher that can speak English? Well my aspires-to-be-bendy friend, today is your lucky day. This is a bit of a public service announcement / ad for my lovely wife. As long-time readers may know, Maggie is a yoga instructor/teacher here in …

November 6, 2007
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Burger King in Suzhou?

After a night out at the Shamrock, Suzhou’s defacto Irish pub, surrounded by fellow non-Asian faces most of which are rattling on in English, it’s sometimes easy to forget where you are. This is likely why, while sipping some post-closing brew at a little canal-side gazebo (Suzhou’s cool that way) around the corner that a …

October 27, 2007
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Gettin’ Smashed

As some might remember, I bought an e-bike a few months back. It’s pretty much replaced taxis as my primary mode of transportation (taxis having replaced buses shortly after I got caught in the rear door pushing my way on an overstuffed bus). For a city like Suzhou I would even go so far as …

October 20, 2007
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Wipha Sucked But Krosa Blew

Back a couple weeks I wrote about Typhoon Wipha coming to wipe Suzhou and the rest of China’s eastern seaboard off the map. It failed to do so. The other day all the reports seemed to indicate Krosa was coming to do the same. Nada. However, what it did do was give Suzhou that long-needed …

October 9, 2007
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Pan Gate – 盘门 (panmen)

One of the best things about having a guest visiting is it kicks you in the ass and reminds you that those scenic spots aren’t going to see themselves. Recently, while putting together a list of tourist spots around Suzhou for my Your China Pal site, I discovered a place I had not heard of …

June 26, 2007
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No Sham, All Rock: Shamrock Open Mic

Right, so as I mention last post, Suzhou finally has a venue for any wannabe musicians to come out and get heard. I “opened” the Shamrock Open Mic Night last night and it was a modest success. With no advertising, I fully expected to be the only one going up to play – something I …

April 24, 2007
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Open Mic Night In Suzhou

The masochist in me has long been craving the sick-nervous feeling I get when I play in front of an audience. Despite playing for years, I’ve only minimal talent. This, however, doesn’t curb my interest in belting out a few tunes any chance I get. Just before coming to China I was living in the …

April 22, 2007
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