Chengdu, China

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Last night we went out shopping for some underwear, shirts and socks, being as our luggage was somewhere, who knows where. While walking around, I noticed that I have never been such a subject of outright curiosity as much as here. Generally while traveling in foreign countries, you get a stare, and a hushed whisper to a friend. Here in nowheresville China people were literally stopping and staring with mouth agape. If music was playing, the record would come to a screeching halt about every ten feet we walked. For a girl who is insecure this is something of a waking nightmare, however my love of travel usurps my silly hangups, and I remind myself that I am a curio, not an object of ridicule.

Dennis went out later by himself in a quest for the fabled deodorant (which I'm convinced does not exist) and relayed how he was surrounded by a mob of curious onlookers who were touching his arms (heavilly tattooed), and an old woman was pinching his cheeks.

I read some more about Chengdu, and found that it is home to 15 million people, and lies within the Sichuan province, spelled Szechuan in English. All I know of Szechuan is that it means spicy food. Now I know why dinner was really really spicy. Apparently they put red chiles in everything in these parts, and the local women are known as "la meizi" (spice girls).

I never did make it to the panda breeding center 😞, as our flight left again at 0730. Pandas are slowly making a comeback, but the urban sprawl of Chinese cities is really encroaching on their habitat, and causing many to starve. Apparently the Chinese are soo protective of their national animal that if someone saves a starving panda, you will be rewarded with 2x your annual salary, or conversely if you are caught poaching one, you will be publicly executed. As much as I rejoice at this, I'm annoyed that the panda is the only animal is deserving of protection in Asia.

Random observation of the day: The Chinese have a disgusting habit of perpetually spitting, snorting, coughing and hacking. I know this is due to the incredible pollution they have, and the respiratory problems that must plague them, but I can see how a pandemic would just rip through this area. Perhaps a face mask isn't so silly now as I think about contracting Typhoid ,TB and who knows what else.

Also I have discovered that about 10% of internet websites are off limits in China, to include Facebook. This has to do with the gov't heavilly monitoring all information going out and coming in.

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Photos

Coffee buffett??!! What an amazing idea!

Downtown Chengdu from hotel

Pineapple on a stick for .20

Comments

[Ella]

Thank you
Thank you for your sharing your Sichuan Tourstour,beautiful pictures, I love panda too.