Chengdu AP. That's After the Panda's

 

Chengdu as a destination wasn't just about Pandas. I mean sure if I left Chengdu and all I could say I saw was the Panda Base I'd still feel a sense of achievement. However There was much more to the 3 nights on the tour in Chengdu, and then the extra nights I stayed there after making a side trip to Chongqing.

Immediately after the tour of the Panda base we went for a lunch at perhaps the most basic of the restaurants we visited whilst on the tour. Unfortunately for our guide this restaurant was awkward. There was no menu in English, and she hadn't really explained to us it was cheap. We were seemingly locked into a group lunch experience unknown relying on the guide to order. The main table which was mainly non vegetarians was fine. A mix of hot and not so hot dishes came out. Although we were still tentative about what to expect. However the vegetarians at a second table (due to the group size) were left to the whim of the hosts too. So they got the same long bean dish we did, with Pork. And then a bevy of spicy Sichuan pepper dishes. Chinese understanding of vegetarian is well limited it seems.

After lunch instead of going back to the hostel we were directed to Wenshu Monastery. It was raining by now on and off. These conditions were not surprising for Chengdu as it is referred to as a very rainy city. In fact the women of Chengdu are considered the most beautiful because they experience less sunny days. On the flip side, when Chengdu is in sun, the residents celebrate. Wenshu Monastery and gardens were nice to walk around. However it would have perhaps better to incorporate a visit to the tea gardens. I suspect it wasn't because most of the tour group was continuing on into China and there were later plans in the tour to do such an experience.

This evening was the night of the Chinese Opera. Or well the Face Changing Performance. The tour arranged to pick us up and then drop us at the performance just prior to the start. Before taking our seat we had enough time to see the performers getting their makeup on, and get a cigarette whilst in full costume. The performance included about an hour of different scenes involving music, comedy, and performance art. The highlight though for me was the shadow puppetry of animals.

The next morning was going to be a quiet day for me. However in the end I found myself convinced into going to see the Leshan Buddha. I was going to skip the trip as there was to be a long transit to Leshan of 2 hours. And well to me it seemed too long just for a Buddha. But the group intent on going really needed that extra person to get it over the line. Without a forth person it would have been prohibitive to arrange a private transfer, and result in an overly long public bus ride. But if I was to join, then the tour guide wouldn't fit in the private car. Which I wasn't so keen on. As I argued why go to the place without a guide, and no explanations. It was heading for a train wreck. Fortunately though the driver arrived in a van, and we could fit the guide. We all won, or well mostly won. The tour proceeded and we had a good day. However the return itself was terrible taking 4 hours after traffic in Chengdu ground us to a halt.

This evening was the night of the Sichuan Hotpot. We headed out to a local hotpot restaurant. With very little understanding of how it worked we managed to get a fill of hotpot. The restaurant though considered us cheap as we 13 people barely ate a the amount of what 2 to 3 locals would consume. The cost was based on per stick and the bill was only about 30 Yuan each. We had been told to budget 80 per person. I think if we did it a second time we would have at least paid double. First time around we were hesitant, were very individual in our stick selection, and uncoordinated in placing them into the hotpot itself. We had too many at the table also. Experience is such an advantage when it comes to hotpot.

The next morning I said farewell to the tour group as I was off to Chongqing. However a day later I returned to Chengdu for 2 nights on my own. I had booked the end of my trip in the Sofitel Taihe thinking the rule you should keep to is always end a trip on a hotel high. As this is the last thing you'll remember. Never go down in quality as it'll end a trip on a down note. The first evening back in Chengdu I just walked up to Tianfu Square from the hotel. The next day though was my big day with my local friend Ruby. Ruby was able to take the day to show me Chengdu as this was the Mid Autumn festival day off. The day started with a trip to the Narrow and Wide Alley. Here was supposed to be my experience of the local traditional culture and some exploring in a very touristy area of the city. However it was pouring with rain. Horrendous weather had set in. So it was more a sprint between shelters. The whole day of festivities had obviously been ruined throughout the city.

Lunch was a highlight. We went to a local noodle place. I tried 3 types of noodles. One was their interpretation of a Dan Dan Noodles which is the local noodle dish the guides say to try. This was great. Or well it reminded me of Spaghetti until my mouth as numb from the Sichuan Pepper. Might I mention I've decided I'm not a fan of Sichuan pepper. Although they say to be scared because of the heat I wasn't put off by the heat. It was the numbing effect of the pepper I wasn't a fan off. I like chili. But this would make even water taste weird. We continued to explore around the city until the evening where we ventured to a Shanghai style restaurant for dinner. This was nice. No Sichuan pepper in sight. I had a great day. Ruby really took care of me.

The final day i explored Chengdu myself. The weather had improved somewhat. But then I also had be be careful not to get lost, or destroy my clothes as I was without access to a hotel room and my bags. I stocked up on Pandas for the trip home. A late flight out of Chengdu, and my trip was over. Note I have one more blog post for this trip as Chengdu straddled both sides of my Chongqing side trip.