Chengdu and Chongquing...very BUSY cities

25th January - Panda day!!!

Today we were up at 6.15 to catch the mini bus to the Giant Panda Research Base just outside Chengdu. Many other westerners were joining us from the hostel and the minibus journey was a VERY tight squeeze! On arrival we eagerly made our way through the park to the enclosure where the pandas were due to be fed. It was their cries we heard at first (resembling a dog!)...they were obviously dying for a good bit of bamboo. They are amazing animals! The first two we saw were really putting on a show, chomping on the bamboo lying around on their backs relaxing. On average they sleep for 16 hours a day and spend the rest eating...a lifestyle very similar to that of our friend Ross!

We then went on to see several more enclosures with more pandas and finished off by visiting the new born baby pandas. The red panda was our next animal on the list. They are alot smaller than the black and white panda and more resemble a racoon.

After the enclosures it was on to the museum section. The most memorable part of this was the preserved Panda genitals in a jar! Quite impressive!

We arrived back at the hostel around 12ish and had a quick nap before making our way into the centre of Chengdu. Due to not being able to find any free taxis we were on foot. It was amazing how quickly our surroundings changed from being fairly shanti townish, to becoming a very built up cosmopolitan area. Stopping off at a streetseller we sampled some of the reknowned spicy chengdu bbq food...very nice! We walked past the Mao statue (centre of Chengdu) and into the shopping area. There were very many western upmarket shops in this area (something we would never have thought possible from the position of our hostel). We continued to walk the pedestrianised streets until we stumbled upon an an American restauarant which, due to everyones need for a 'filling' meal, we went in. Very similar to TGI Fridays everyone came out satisfied after eating a full meal with huge brownie/ice cream deserts. This was our most expensive meal yet at 6 pounds! We then went on an mission to find a bar but instead ended up in an arcade playing a game similar to hungry hippos. Great fun! More chinese people crowded round as we played air hockey fascinated by our western style.

26th January - Arrival in Chongquing

Woke up early morning to catch our 4 hour train to Chongquing. This was our first train journey within China and we were all very much looking forward to it. We were dropped off by the driver from the Dragon Youth Hostel and made our way into the busy train station. The train was a double decker and as we made our way to our seats we were given several inquisitive looks for our western attire. Waking up an hour and a half into the journey I looked across the isle to see Ross mid arm wrestle with a a bald Chinese man(looked like a chinese fighter!) He spoke very little English but seemed to want to prove to Ross he was stronger. Ross managed to just about beat him when he claimed he had moved his elbow...the fight was over. This man drank a whole bottle of liquor while making his way through a whole bag of chicken feet. He was very merry! Alot of our carriage took interest in the banter between us and this crazy man! After a while he became irritating/drunker so we pretended we were asleep!

We arrived in Chongquing around 12 and were met by a driver who picked us up in a huge bus and took us to an office where we were due to arrange our next few days travel to Wanzhou and our river trip up the Yangtzi River. This was when we met 'Jimmy White' (or so he called himself). He was good at English but as the day wore on we began to dislike him! He reminded us of a dirty car sales man and when he took us to try the Chongquing speciality hotpot (which was very nice) he spat on the floor throughout the meal and at the end he insisted we payed for him! Due to him helping us with our tickets for the next few days we kept him sweet and agreed.

Chongquing is definitely not a place I would stay if it was not necessary! The city is the largest in China with 32 million people living in the area. We have seen 3 rats already and are just about adjusting to the smell of sewers. We resided to having a good few hours in Starbucks before making our way to the internet cafe where I am writing this blog. Tonight we are staying in a hotel...I am thankful of bringing my sleeping bag liner for sure. The sooner we leave for the Yangtzi River...the better!

We have a busy next few days travel stopping in Whanzou, Yichang, Wuhan, Ningbo, Putuoshan and hopefully will arrive in Shanghai for the beginning of February ready for some crazy new years celebrations. I will keep you all posted!

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