Chengdu

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8/24-8/25

Originally we hadn't planned on stopping in Chengdu but thanks to some crafty scheduling we had the opportunity to see the sights for a day and a half, on our way further south. The main attraction is a Panda Bear Conservancy and Breeding Center. Once there it was clear that China takes their pandas pretty seriously. We were bombarded with all you ever wanted to know about these creatures and what efforts the scientists are making to ensure they remain on the planet. My initially unenthusiastic Andrew soon became a picture snapping excited child. He really took to the bears and I think I even saw a tear during one of the videos about how endangered they have become. Anyway, this facility is doing the best job out of anywhere in the world of helping these guys reproduce so it was a really heartwarming morning.

We spent the rest of the time walking around the city which was noticeably cleaner and friendlier than the previous ones we have visited in China. We walked around a monastery and enjoyed some tea in the garden. Mostly, we ate the local cuisine known for it's spice. Since much of China has not seen a ton of international tourism yet, there are few places that offer English menus. We have taken to walking by restaurants and looking at what people are eating, then pointing to it and asking for the same. This is a dangerous practice as we really could have some mystery meat so I try to stick to vegetarian looking options.

Also, I should take the opportunity to explain some of our general observations of the country. It is immediately apparent that we entered a very different world as soon as we arrived in China. In SE Asia, it felt like we were famous at how much attention we drew but in China the average person couldn't care less and we often seemed invisible to them. Almost no English is spoken or written so the communication problem is a large one. Since we were essentially illiterate, we usually found a bi-lingual hotel clerk to write in Chinese characters the places we wanted to go (in case we got lost we could show to a cab driver). It was also a challenge to get used to seemingly rude customs by western standards, but normal in China. Public spitting is commonplace as they say it helps to clear the lungs. Pushing or cutting in a line is also accepted. We tried to make sense, that in a place that had so little for so long, the last one in the line may not have got anything. But a traveler must beware of this otherwise you could be on a line (with people constantly cutting in front of you) indefinitely. Another interesting concept is the strong belief in luck. They strongly believe in good and bad luck. There are particular numbers which signify both, and people will go as far as paying more money to have a phone number that contains lots of 8's which signifies good luck. Something that could cause bad luck is stepping on a threshold in the doorway. One must step over a threshold to a door (which is a raised step in each doorway to keep evil spirits from entering) because if you step on it...bad luck. On the extreme side, we even saw people in a rural area who had a caged monkey in a courtyard to bring them good luck. There may be more complex explanations for all this but the easy translation we received was "it is good/bad luck". It will be interesting to see if these types of practices will change over the next few years as China's barriers come down and further globalization sets in.

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Photos

Chairman Mao
He is revered as a god here.

Construction Site
Notice, equal rights for men and women regarding manual labor.