Sometimes you have to do a bit of searching to find a hidden gem. I had heard about the water villages surrounding Shanghai, and always wanted to visit, but I always ended up spending any free time in the alleys and markets of the city and never making it outside of town. On this particular trip I decided it was time to venture out of the city, and after a quick bit of web research I settled on the village of Zhujiajiao. I soon realized getting there wasn't going to be as easy as I hoped as the public transportation options seemed time consuming and confusing, so I decided to cab it. Only in China can you take a cab an hour and 15 minutes out of the city and not break the bank. What I found was an amazing network of canals, crowded with boats, and a maze of alleys filled with a dizzying array of craftspeople and merchants. Mission accomplished
