We had a relaxing day out with Joe, who was both our driver and guide to beautiful Suzhou. The contrast between the 'new', 'old', and 'ancient' Suzhou was magnificent, as we spent time walking the Garden and experiencing the inner sanctuary of ancient Chinese accommodation that we only saw from the outside in our earlier trip to the Forbidden City in Beijing. Joe's profound knowledge and ability to link different elements with Chinese proverbs transformed this from a sightseeing experience to a learning journey. Exploring the 'Venice of the East' at Shantang Street was another highlight and if we could do it again, we would spend more time here, as there was so much to see and do! Overall, it was a great experience, made more enjoyable by Joe and his sense of humour and importantly, his safe driving on busy, congested roads in and outside of Shanghai and Suzhou.