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Published: June 27th 2007
2007-The Route to ChengduIt’s Wednesday in Chengdu (China) - Tuesday in Vancouver (Canada). It took a couple of days to get over the jetlag. We had a couple of challenges to deal with. First of all, our flight was delayed by two hours, which is nothing compared to the whole day-long delay of the flight that was supposed to leave Vancouver the day before ours. We were all sitting in the boarding area together. Within minutes of the previous flight being called, we were called as well.
The next challenge involved a volcano that was half a world away. Because it was erupting, we were informed that our flight would be 14 hours instead of the planned 10 hours. We were re-routed to Anchorage, Alaska, where we sat on the tarmac for a little over an hour while the plane was being refuelled. Once back in the air, the flight went smoothly. We were very pampered in “business class.” We had luxuriously wide seats that reclined almost fully, like a LazyBoy. Literally, the rows were set apart from each other so that you had no concerns at all with someone reclining into your dinner. You actually needed to get out of your seat to reach the pocket on the back of the chair in front of you.
Alaska looked amazingly familiar. There were orderly planted fields with very evident strip-farming. The trees looked relatively plentiful, if not slightly smaller than those in BC. The sky was incredibly blue and clear…not a cloud to be seen. The airport was pretty busy. There were many (3 dozen) FedEx planes parked on the tarmac near us. A few other courier service planes were there as well.
The flight itself was wonderful (but lengthy). We were pampered with our own set of slippers, a pillow and a blanket - someone should inform Air Canada of what customer service is! We had three full meals and several refreshment breaks. There were about six crew members to take care of a total of about thirty “Business Class” passengers.
The flight actually took 16 hours. When we arrived in Beijing, it was about midnight, local time. Going through Customs took about 1/2-hour. Because all the connections to Chengdu had finished for the day, the airline arranged for us to be lodged at a hotel near the airport. However, Mei has a favourite hotel in Beijing so we went there. Talk about posh! I can’t remember the name of it at the moment, but I do remember that it is one of the German “Lufthansa” chain of hotels…5 star.. That would be comparable to the CP Hotels in Canada. It was now about 2 a.m. I had my own room, outfitted with a king-sized bed and absolutely beautiful furniture. Hey Mom -- there was a mini-bar! (Inside joke!) However, when I read the schedule of prices for the items in the mini-bar, I decided to abstain. A bottle of chilled water was $5. There were several bottles of complimentary water in the room, so I decided to drink those.
Morning came early. We were up at about 6:30 a.m. and enjoyed a delicious buffet breakfast in an ultra-modern restaurant in the hotel. Then it was off to the airport. Mei did some fancy talking to get us onto an 8:30 flight to Chengdu. Once again, the in-flight service was impeccable and the flight went by very quickly. Beijing-to-Chengdu is 2 hours (not 5, as I had previously thought). By 11 a.m., we were awaiting our luggage at the carousel.
There was a huge welcoming party to meet us at the airport. Everyone was so excited and made me feel right at home. After introductions, we embarked in a cavalcade of vehicles for “home.” It was about 28 degrees Celsius and just about saturation humidity. The most welcome features of this ride into the city was the air-conditioning and the total luxury of a Mercedes-Benz.
My hosts’ home is absolutely palatial: it is a two-storey apartment that was fashioned out of four original apartments. I think Mei told me that there is about 5000 square feet. It is just beautiful, with very high ceilings and lots of marble and stone to give it a cool feeling. The furnishings are very elegant, but, at the same time, very inviting. Mei told me that she did the decorating herself…she has a definite flair. After a while, I was led up four flights of stairs to what would be “my room.” This is another apartment that has just been restored and updated. It is about twice the size of my condo in Richmond. As a matter of fact, my bedroom here is bigger than my living room back home. The bathroom is very modern and luxurious. And did I mention, it’s all air conditioned! This feature proved to be its crowning glory.
After a short rest during the afternoon,, we went to a place called JinLi Street (Lantern Street). It is a charming stroll down a very beautiful, narrow lane lined with many interesting shops and venders. Traditional trades such as sugar candy-making, puppet and shadow shows, artists doing calligraphy and paintings. The architecture is very old with many of the buildings dating back more than several hundred years. I was shown landmarks and points of interest by my wonderful hosts and we sampled several of the treats being offered.
Yesterday, we visited two separate parks. One was beside JinLi Street. It is a memorial to a venerated general. There are several aspects to the park: ornamental gates, statues and many items from antiquity that are on display and a huge mausoleum where the general is buried.. Mei & Mr. Chen arranged for an English-speaking tour guide for me. That really enriched the visit. Mr. Chen is held in very high regard by the park managers and architect, who came out to greet him and invite us to tea under the shade of a Gingko tree. It was very relaxing. You could see many of the locals doing the same. Mei told me that many elderly people come here to spend the whole day in the “teahouse,” which is more like a “tea patio” because it is entirely outdoors. After a couple of hours chatting, we were honoured with an elaborate lunch that was fashioned in the style that would have been eaten hundreds of years ago. Each course had a ceremonial meaning. For the most part, I enjoyed it. The company was lively and included about 12 of us in total. The presentation of the food was spectacular. There were probably more than forty dishes in all!
Afterward, we crossed the city to go to another park where 12 Chinese poets of ancient times are remembered. The layout of the park was absolutely beautiful. And the shade provided by countless trees, most welcomed. After a couple of hours walking, we went home for a brief rest.
Last night, we went to dinner at a very posh restaurant. The whole family joined us and I was the guest of honour…imagine! It was a traditional Chengdu hotpot, with countless variety. With dinner well underway, three ladies played traditional music on a stage. It was a beautiful accompaniment to our dinner and conversation. This was followed by several more acts: musical, rhythmic gymnastics, comedy, acrobatics and singing. It lasted about 2 hours and was first rate! The finale was a small troupe of Kung Fu fighters…the real deal! There were 4 fighters showing a very tightly choreographed routine, but the focus of the show was a little boy of about 6 years of age. His intensity and precision was amazing!
This morning, Mei brought me to her company so I could use the Internet to enter this Blog. I hope that you find it interesting. This afternoon, we are going swimming at a big hotel in the City.
Plans have already been made for next week’s activities: a 5-day road trip to a hot spring resort. Life is good.
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Angela
non-member comment
nice to meet you
I am very glad to meet you ,i am Angela,Mei s secretary.Welcome to chengdu,maybe you can love it.This is my blog http://blog.sina.com.cn/huangcaina.some english articles ,some chinese articles and my pictures.this is my email,hcn1984130@163.com ,you can write letter to me.