Mudu isn't bad at all. It's a scaled-down, compacted version of Suzhou with the Mingyue Temple in place of Hanshan and Yanjia Garden replacing Master of Nets. My favorite, though was Gusong Garden (古松花园), named for the 500 year old pine in the back courtyard. Even more impressive is the veritable labyrinth of tunnels within the traditional rock garden (假山) and the collection of embroideries done by Yao Pingjian (姚萍建). I sat in the sun for a while reading about the history of the garden and congratulating myself for hitting Mudu at the perfect time--warm and before the high tourist season--when the first tour group came in, shouting and screaming and clapping each other on the back. Chinese tour groups! I hightailed it out of there, strolling the canal down to Yanjia Garden (严家花园), Mudu's biggest garden. The tour groups were never far away, but it's big enough to find a quiet corner of your own for an hour. Also be sure to check out the stone work by renowned craftsman Cai Yundi (蔡云第). I was sorely tempted to buy a foot and half tall, beautifully crafted sandstone Buddha of Mercy for RMB2,000. His stone teapots are also quite famous and with good reason--they are extremely delicate and look exactly like wood! It's a beautiful day today, truly spectacular spring weather. I'm very sad that I didn't get a chance to climb Ling'an Mountain (灵岸山) which is just across the street from Mudu Old Town. There is a fantastic temple on top, which will have to remain a mystery until next time. I'm off again, heading back to Suzhou then Shanghai then my next stop: Sheshan Royal Meridien for a little five star treatment. Enough of this living out of a rolling case!