在河边喝茶

The problem with conventional organised group tours (at least those originating from Singapore) is they hardly cater to us photographer-types: limited stops (both in number and duration) for photography, lots of time wasted on “enforced shopping” (the tour guides bring you to designated places in the hope of earning commission) , arriving at photogenic spots at the wrong time of the day etc. etc. That was the problem I faced on my recent trip to China/Shanghai too, unfortunately 🙁 I was very happy when I managed to get half-an-hour to roam about at the picturesque Xitang (西塘) on the last day of our trip. The above scene was well-spotted by Cy, before I decided to make it an interesting candid shot 😀 The title is a pun on the sign at the bottom-right of the picture — literally, it means “Having Tea By The Riverside”.