Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya,
 
Mate, what a horrible night's sleep I had last night.
 
The guys in the room across from me were yelling and screaming for most of the night whilst playing cards. Well at least I think that's what they were playing. Maybe they were playing other games. Who knows! Anyhow, what ever they were doing they bloody well kept me awake.
 
Not Happy Jan!
 
Amigo woke me around half ten and I then headed downstairs for a huge fill of Yangzhou Fried Rice here in Fried Rice City! After a coffee I headed along Wenge Lu to Yanfau Lu and then up towards Shouxihu Gongyuan (or Slender West Lake). I was a little worried about my ticket being purchased yesterday BUT they did promise me it would be ok.
 
On the way I passed by the Potted Plant Garden and busied myself with the question about going in or not due to the entrance fee. Three years ago it was 30 Yuan so it would have to be about 50 Yuan now surely. Then I thought, hey why not see if I can get in by showing my Multi-Ticket and see what happens.
 
Guess what?
Its actually part of the Multi-ticket!
 
It was so beautiful and I was so happy I noticed the entrance as I was walking. From the LP: it offers a quiet escape along a small canal dotted with birds and blossoms, archways, bridges, pavilions and a marble boat.  There are hundreds of bonsai-style plants on display and a must for garden lovers'
 
Seriously, why can't I write something as simple and descriptive as that? I have to waffle on and on and on and about it all and a page later I've said the same thing but in one million words and by around five hundred thousand words the reader is asleep.
 
HHHHhhhhmmmm, see what I mean!
Stop Now!
 
From the Bonsai Garden I walked across the little bridge and found the Shouxihu Gongyuan entrance to my right (on the left side of the river). The lake and gardens were constructed during the reign of Emperor Kangxi and Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (AD1644 to 1911).
 
This is a description from a pamphlet I found at the gate:
 
Thus, a splendid view rises before us; Peach blossoms and weeping willows on either embankment are mirrored in the lake. Pavilions and towers stand erectly all the way down the gill. Gardens of Yanghou encapsulate both the grandeur of northern gardening and the beauty of southern gardening. So it's famous for the special unique features both at home and abroad. The main scenic spots include; long dyke spring willows, four bridges in mist and rain, Xu Yuan Garden, Xiao Jin Hill, fishing terrace, five pavilion bridge, Fu Manor, white pagoda, twenty four bridge senic spot, water splashes along stone wall and so on! All the scenic spots look like a panoramic traditional Chnese painting!
 
Well....some of them do anyhow...maybe!
 
The five pavilion bridge was having a face lift during my visit which was a real bugger as it looked like it would have been a great place to visit along with being a great picture. Fu Manor was also closed which didn't' really bother me that much as I've seen enough 'Formally the Residence of...' places for now.
 
The only thing that really did bother me was that you couldn't cross from one side of the river to the other side way up near the Ming Temple gate. Nor are you allowed to exit at this gate (West Gate) and enter again at the East Gate down the road. This meant I had to go AAAAALLLLLLLLLLL the way back the way I came to cross the river.
 
STOOPID IDEA!
 
After leaving the park I found a pagoda on the other side of the river and sat to chat to Amigo and read for an hour. I then began making my way back into town and dropped into a small family Kodak store to have my photos burnt onto disk (duplicate copies of course!).
 
The Slender West Lake....how was it?
Fine, thanks for asking!
 
Seriously, the gardens really are worth a visit. You could easily spend a day here if you walk slowly and stop to rest and have a bit of a frolic on the grass. It was a very beautiful day and I'm glad my ticket was a multi day ticket as I probably wouldn't have paid the entrance fee again and therefore would have missed out such an awesome day.

And don't even consider skipping the Bonsai Gardents!
 
Beers N Noodles toya.....shane
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The soundtrack to this entry was the greatest band ever.
Melbourne's 'Underground Lovers'
The album was the 'Takes You Back' EP