Horrid Chengdu

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Geo: 30.67, 104.07

I'd visited Chengdu before. My clearest memories were of funeral shops and pollution. I optimistically thought there was probably much more to the city, particuarly as I was to spend the next 3 months of my life based there. However, my memory was not playing tricks on me. Chengdu has won the esteemed title of 'Worse City in China.'

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Photos

Chengdu roads
Going nowhere!

Driving Machine
How Bill taught himself to drive. He's got his driving license after only 1 time on a real road! Most of the tests sounded like dance lessons for cars. He knows how to parallel park on top of an icy mountain but from my experience of Chinese drivers, he's probably not all that sure of what to do with a traffic light!!

Feeding the fish
Our favourite place in Chengdu, where you can feed the hundreds of friendly, good luck and good fortune fish.

Fire breathing
The Sichuan Opera was very impressive especially the 'Changing Faces' performance.

Fishing for tadpoles
A favourite weekend past time in one of Chengdu's parks.

Hotpot
Hotpot is Chengdu's most popular food. It's good fun dropping the raw meat and vegetables into the boiling water though it's a test of patience waiting for it to cook! It all ends up tasting the same once dipped in the peanut oil sauce. The locals numb all tastebuds by dipping their food into a bath of sizzling spices!

Prayer time
The monks at The Wenshu Temple, stealing themselves away from their mobile phones and ipods to prayer for humility and peace!

Procession
Students on military training go for a march

Teahouse
Chengdu is famous for its teahouses. The locals spend their days getting constant refills, having their ears picked and playing mahrjong.

The World is an Elephant!
Ancient Buddhist thought believes that the earth is balanced on an elephant standing on a turtle.

Traditional Marriage Transportation
If I was getting married in China according to ancient Chinese tradition, I would be carried on this to the groom's house. Luckily for whoever the driver may have been, this tradition isn't really observed anymore.