Suzhou Laser and Water Fountain Show

Matt and I were out exploring one night and discovered Rainbow Walk on Jinji Lake.  Rainbow Walk has many pubs and restaurants and is built beside the lake.  There is a large, open area opening onto the lake with a heap of weird things sticking out of the water.  We thought that it was perhaps a super-sized fountain, but had no idea!  Upon further internet research, Matt discovered that every Friday and Saturday night at 8pm they have a spectacular water fountain and laser show, set to music.  We went along one night to check it out!  It was also a great excuse to eat dinner at Rainbow Walk.

(I would like to insert a video here but flickr doesn't seem to like it much!)

After the Laser and Water Fountain Show, we went for a walk with the crowds around the lake, taking in the sights near Rainbow Walk.  We discovered people letting off paper balloon type things.  Now, here I have a confession to make ........ Matt and I used to randomly see these bright glowing things in the sky at night and usually when the sky was clear.  We kind of thought they were government weather balloons, sent up into the sky to keep it clear.  (Yes I know this does kind of sound insane, but it IS China and they do alot of weird and crazy things here and yes they DO actually seed the sky to make it clear, especially surrounding big events!).  Anyways, it was on this night that I think our myths were dashed / solved.  We indeed felt a little silly but we also stumbled upon something pretty cool.

The 'weather balloons' were in fact paper balloons which people send off into the sky as a kind of good luck symbol.  Matt and I were curious and watched people for a while before Matt went off to get one for us to try for ourselves.  Well ... our first experience didn't go too well.  You get a paper balloon folded up in a plastic bag.  You open up the balloon and attach a little lighter block type thing to it and then hold out the balloon as the block flames up, filling the balloon with hot air until it's ready for take off!!

Attempt 1 - attaching the lighter block

Attempt 1 - we have light!

Our first balloon had a hole in one of the paper seams.  (I guess as they are only made from a tissue type paper they are quite delicate and ours just wasn't glued together properly.)  Matt took it back to the seller and swapped it for a new one.  I think that this time our lighter block fell off and as it's flaming, it's just way too hot to put back on!

Attempt 2 - attaching and lighting the lighter block

A little bit sad and dejected by our bad luck, we gave up and hung around watching everyone else with their good luck and their fun.

It's a team effort!

We have light!  The balloon is filling with hot air ready for lift off.

We have lift off!

WEEEEEE!!  So many balloons.

We were then approached by a lovely young couple who could speak english, who proposed to us that as we had been a little unlucky (oh yes, everyone had been watching and trying to help us!) we could get a balloon and all four of us could send it off together!  I thought this was such a nice thing for them to do, so we tried .. and failed!  Our balloon went up, up, up and away ...... down into the lake.  The guy moved so quickly, jumping over a wall, to grab our balloon from the lake ... but alas it was too wet and would not take flight!  Lamenting our loss, we said thanks, feeling bad we starting to walk away ... until they came after us again for ONE last try!  Well, y'know the saying ... 3 times lucky.  Well we had tried and failed 3 times and I was starting to feel as though I was doomed with bad luck for life, but Matt was keen .. so here goes the 4th try.  I barely wanted to touch the balloon as I didn't want to bring this lovely young couple bad luck ... but we waited, and waited, the balloon grew and filled with hot air ..... and then it was up, up, up and away!  It literally did go up in the air!!!  It was such a great feeling and a feeling of relief.  You are supposed to make a wish as your balloon takes flight and I was probably just wishing the balloon would head into the sky at that point!  Ha ha.  All in all, it was a fun and interesting night and not something that you do every day.  I'd like to try the balloons again one day and hopefully have better luck next time round!

A balloon taking off a little low over the lake.

All of those glowing things in the sky are the good luck balloons!  You can see them glowing for AGES!  Now maybe you can see why we stupidly mistook them for something they totally aren't!!