Day 4 in China; Part II: I'm Concerned...A LOT!

He gives up, kind of gets the idea I am just wanting to get over by the large lake. We start traveling…meter is ticking. He calls someone. Now I am on the phone with a lady who speaks pretty good English.
“Where are you wanting the driver to take you?” she asks.
“I don’t know the name. I just want to go to the water village.”
“What water village?”
“I don’t know, just the water village.”
“How do you expect the driver to get you there, if you don’t know where you’re going?”
“I don’t know, I just wanted to go to the water village.”
The driver says "I smoke, you smoke? I smoke!" He lights up a cigarette and whipes his brow. The tempereature is 27C. He's hot. I'm hot. My phone lady is hot. We each have a different HOT.
“But sir, if the driver doesn’t know where you want to go, how can he take you there?” My phone girl is trying not to say I am stupid, but she is stumbling across some words that sure sound like she thinks I'm stupid.
“Okay, just tell him to take me back to the railway station.”
“Okay, give me the driver.”
We’re on the interstate, the meter is running and he gets over in the right lane. I already have my ticket and it is for 17:53. I’ve got a REALLY long wait on my hands. A REALLY LONG WAIT!

“Wait! WAIT! There's the water. There’s a park! Take me over there!” The driver starts heading over there. I am now happy. I found water. There seems to be some Chinese houses there. This must be it.

Now I’m a bit concerned. When he drops me off, how am I going to get a ride back? How am I going to know what time it is? We pass the Suzhou Health College. Very nice. The road is starting to get a bit funky here. We make the lake. I have two hours to get back to the station. The driver volunteers to wait while I take pictures. That could be answer to my first prayer, because there are absolutely NO cabs in this area. Just the locals.

I start to walk around and take some shots. I am thinking this is lunch here for some locals. a sort of local fish market to purchase goodies for the evening meal. The choices are turttle, small fish, or snails. He will clean them on the spot. I pass. I hope to be able to NOT fix my own supper. I start to wonder. Have I got a way to let people know how to come and get me? I told four people the name of the city I was going to visit. I dont how to say 'Stupid lost American. Can you help me be UNLOST??!!. It's like telling someone I am in Overland Park (the city is about that size) and if I'm not back by nine, come and find me. I won't know exactly where I am, but you can come and get me. I press on.

Okay, so the driver decides to write me a note (pictured upside down to make the chinese harder for you to read) after letting me walk around a bit. It seems a bit long for "Yankee go home!". I found out later the note has something to do with the bridge. It is actually very very old and of historical significance.

He turns out to be a pretty good capitalist. He is volunteering to wait while I take some pictures and walk around. The tab is at 70 RMB ($10 USD) right now. If he drops me off, he gets nothing for his trip back to the station. If he stays with me, he pays for the trip back and we're both happy. He doubles his wages for the trip.

So I didn't find that stinking water garden or water village or whatever you want to call it after all, BUT...I experienced China! The coyotes are not howling anymore. I feel releaved that I don't return empty handed. Time to go back to the railway station and wait for my ride home.

Since my driver left me a note, I will leave him a note. I draw a rough map of the US and where I am from. I make sure I put Tonganoxie there, not just Kansas City. After all, a very detailed map in the back of a cab in China should be a piece of cake!