Advertisement
Published: August 14th 2009
Edit Blog Post
I tried to sleep in a bit today but it didn't work. I guess yesterday's sleeping until after 9:30 did me in. I managed to be on the road by about 11am. The owner of the hostel was nice enough to sit down with me and help me figure out what is best to see first, etc, when you have a limited amount of time (ie, what's best). Much of it contradicts what LP suggests, but then, sometimes they list things that are more touristy or because of the proximity. Not everyone can do everywhere on their own, so making it a bit easier is necessary.
The museum I had originally been eyeing in the event of a rainy day (like the last 2), is really expensive and doesn't take the panda card. Plus it's a few hours away. Lo and behold, Jinsha museum is the sister museum, is closer, and takes the panda card, making it free. Sold. I like saving time and 100RMB.
Jinsha museum is an excavation site with artifacts dating from the end of the Shang Dynasty (1700-1100 BCE) to the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty. I got to see whre they acually unearthed the
artifacts (yup, a big area with holes in the ground) and then the artifacts were in a separate building. There was lots of pottery, bronze, jade, and a bit of gold. I learned about the Shu people who lived there all those years ago--they were actually a fairly advanced civilization. The intricate detailing of the daggers and religious artifacts was incredible. They also had tortoise shells with cracks in them, like oracle bones, but no inscriptions. Now that I've seen the exhibit I wa to reread Hessler.
The grounds were also beautiful and seemed vast, but I skipped exploring them so I could eat and try to go to Dafu's cottage. But I was so tired and know how busy I'll be in the next few days that I just couldn't make myself go. It would have been the start of rush hour madness. I needed rest and tranquility. So I napped and did a bit more laundry (since I'll be busy in Chongqing), and then I did a bit more research for my trip. I've made a rough... not rough itinerary, broken down by half-days, taking into account the hours sites are open and proximities. I have a
lot I want to see and not a lot of time to do it. But I'm being reasonable for the most part, only putting one museum in per half-day, etc.
The violence in the NW has blocked a few more websites and at one point I've read international calls weren't allowed. I had trouble at the same time, but it could be unrelated. From what I know from talking to people who've been there and seen it (and fled), no media source is getting right.
And that concludes our little tour Chengdu... for a few days. I get 2 more when I get back from Chongqing.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.08s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 7; qc: 24; dbt: 0.063s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb