Not so much Tourism, Jet Lag, Food, Picsand lots of Stares

So, I haven't updated in about a week, and the simple explanation is
that I have been pretty busy. When I arrived last Wednesday night, I
was almost immediately hurried off to a massage-which I would
recommend to anyone who flies for 15 hours straight.....and for $20
per hour, who can argue with that? Afterwards, we enjoyed pizza from
a place named Marios-good stuff. The panoramic picture at the top of
this page was taken from just outside the restaurant.
The next morning I accompanied my mom and her group of
volunteers to an orphanage just outside of Suzhou-what a way to start
my vacation right? 20 something kids, ranging from newborn to 20
years old, most abandoned for no other reason than having a simple
physical flaw. The state gives the orphanage 400RMB per child per
month, and at the current conversion rate, that is about $60US.
Shocking, but revealing, considering I spend that much per month on
dog food. After the orphanage, and a quick shower, my mom and I were
treated to authentic Chinese from one of the students that she teaches
English to. Really good food, if you throw out the two dishes of tofu
and jellyfish!!!! The rest of my week was spent seeing the local
sites, which I'll post pictures from soon, eating at my parents
favorite local venues, watching my dad haggle prices for everything,
and getting stared at by the locals. Apparently 6'1" men with lots of
facial hair are pretty seldom seen around here......
After my jet lag crash on Friday night, which I slept for about 12
hours, my dad and I played golf. Good times. The rest of the
weekend was spent doing more sightseeing, and getting introduced to my
parent's friends. This place is unbelievable. I'll update some more
tonight, and hopefully get the pictures uploaded soon too. Off to
some more sightseeing.