Chengdu

---

We flew to Chengdu this morning, and arrived just before 9. Once we'd checked into our hotel we headed out to a nearby area with lots of food stalls and restaurants for lunch. We stuck with wanton soup and rice cakes rather than the pigs' snouts on offer...



This afternoon we went to the people's square, which has a big statue of Mao, and the people's park. In the park were lots of people dancing, singing, catwalking, playing badminton, mahjong, cards or drinking tea. There were even men painting calligraphy on the ground with water.



Dinner was a Sichuan hot pot, a simmering pot of chilli, peppercorns and oil that you cook your own food in. Not as spicy as we feared from the hype, but quite greasy!



Tomorrow we're heading to the giant panda breeding center, where we hear there are baby pandas, and then on to stay in a monastery on a mountain. We're unlikely to have internet for a few days.

---