Well that’s how many steps I have done so far today and my feet are complaining ever so slightly. I had a late start to the day and I wandered off to explore the neighbourhood. I headed in the direction which I new would take me to the moat that surrounds old Suzhou. I crossed it and continued down the street passed many small food shops so I stopped for some mid morning dumplings. These dumplings were in a bowl of spicy soup called Jin Tai Jaozhi, absolutely delicious.

When I finished I headed back to the moat. On my first crossing I noticed a foot path along the side of the river so it seemed like a good idea to follow it to see where it went. So I started walking clockwise around the moat.

So I came across this sign quite near the start of the walk and I thought to myself that I would walk around the moat. The first thing I noticed was that the gardens and the river walk were very peaceful.  No bloody car horns or traffic noise, this was great.  At last I have found a form of sanctuary not too far from my apartment. 

I must admit at the start it seemed like a great idea and even when I got to the half way mark I was still feeling fresh. My feet were still happy and I had even worn my thick socks and I hiking boots, so why shouldn’t they be happy. 

At the 3/4 mark I thought that maybe I should have taken the short way home when I had a chance but I have passed the point of no return so I don’t have a choice. 

I continued to walk and block out the complaints from my feet. Every step took me one step closer to home so I just keep putting one foot in front of the other. And then to my surprise I see a building that I recognise, I saw it yesterday,  it’s Suzhou University. Not far now. The pace slows but the end is in sight so all is well.

I complete the loop of the moat and feel quite chuffed and relaxed because I haven’t had to listen to the bloody traffic horns. I’ve had peace and quiet for hours and managed to listen to some music along the way. 

An early dinner I think because once the shoes are off today they will not be getting put back on. I wish I was back in Thailand so that I could get a foot massage ’cause my feet are not very happy. 

Once my feet have been set free they seem to settle and I think a good rest is in order and maybe even a single malt to ease the pain.