Suzhou, China.

The Aitkensen's say they didn't go to Datong, so they didn't see Cloud Ridge Grotto with the 50,000+ Buddhas carved into the limestone, but they did visit a gorgeous temple in Suzhou built around the same period that they say was most interesting.

It's called Tiger Temple and here it is:

This is precisely why you
should always have photogenic
children with you when you travel.

Actually, I hate to say this and please don't tell the Aitkenson's but ... I'm a little over temples! Yes, I know I've been over Wats for years now, but I feel that temples are going that way too.

These days, it's CAVES!!! Sacred Caves!!! I want to see lots and lots of Sacred Caves. I want to go into deep, dark, secret places with booming echoes and ancient resonances and see giant carved golden statues looming out of the pitch blackness:

Pak Ou again!

I want to see mighty giant gold statutes flashing against pitch black of deep within the ground. I want to see sacred mixed with profane mixed with natural mixed with artifice, all done in a space that booms an ancient and primal echo.


But, you know, temples are good too. And Tiger Temple seems lovely, and I'm most grateful to the Aitkensons for sending me these and letting me blog them, and I'm sure you'd like to see more, so I'll show you more.

Especially this one, because it is seriously cool:

The Leaning Tower of Suzhou.

Endlessly cool place, China!
They have everything there.

In fact, that's something I find endlessly astonishing about China. Anything you talk about in the world that's amazing, someone always says "Oh, there's one of those in China, only ..."

Like when I was raving about Pak Ou Caves, right?, and I'm going "It's these amazing limestone caves with 6000 carved Buddhas." and the Chinese folk go "Oh, if you like that sort of thing, you need to see Datong Caves. They've got 51,000 Buddha's carved into the limestone."

OK, back to Caves again. Cheap shot! Sorry!

But temples, mmmm! Can't do it! Can't do it to you either. So no more shots of temples! Here's one of a horse in Suzhou instead:


And bridges! Those are different. Bridges I still find cool, so here are some splendid 1000 year old Chinese bridges the Aitkensons saw on their travels, also in Suzhou:



So thank you, Aitkensons, for letting me blog your gorgeous photos of Suzhou.

Have any more places you'd like me to blog about? What do you mean, you don't trust me anymore!