Blogs from Chengdu, Sichuan, China, Asia - page 11

We arrived in Chengdu airport at 5:30pm; the airport was full of activity, chatter, laughter and people coughing. We met Yashoda at the entrance and then we took a bus through the city. There were so many high-rises and the traffic was full on - most people were either riding bikes or scooters and there were so many cars. The trip to school took around half an hour; we got to school and found our hosts waiting for us in the court yard. Then we either walked or took a taxi/tuk-tuk to our new homes in Chengdu. When we got to our apartment we all found out that our hosts' English wasn't the greatest - the same as our Mandarin. So the introduction process was quite difficult at first. For dinner most of us had food ... read more

Hi everyone, This is just a quick message to say the blog is active - watch this space!... read more

For some reason I woke before 7:00 this morning. It was not a particularly late night but the afternoon and evening yesterday were definitely eventful and pleasant. About mid morning today it began to rain. Not particularly hard but noticeable. The sky is grey and visibility limited. On the 17th floor of an apartment building you tend to notice those things. Here in Chengdu most loose ends have been attended to. I am taking my hosts and work mates out for dinner tonight. It will be a traditional (for me) last meal in Chengdu. I have chosen one of my favourite restaurants where the owner and his wife have been good friends to me for many years. Likely other friends will show up as if by chance. Tonight or tomorrow morning I will pack. Much of ... read more

I only have four full days left to accomplish everything I need and want to do in Chengdu. There are several people I haven't yet seen and some individuals it would be good to meet with. Yesterday was busy. I ended up spending 3-4 hours explaining the relationship between art and Buddhism. Lunch consisted of several varieties of fresh baked breads, yogurt and fresh fruit. The mangos are very good here. They are grown in Yunan province south of Chengdu. Dinner was early last night but was spent at a favourite Tibetan restaurant. It was a large group of nine people with most being good long time friends. The evening ended late. There was a little rain yesterday morning and again early this morning otherwise the weather has been cool and nice with some high cloud ... read more

Yesterday was definitely an indoor day. A huge rainstorm blew through Chengdu lasting well over 16 hours. It was accompanied by high winds with lashing rain at times flying horizontally. Trees were blown down and streets were a minefield of puddles up to your ankle. Chongqing was hit worse with flash flooding on the outskirts of the city. It finallt eased around 10:00 last night. I actually went out for dinner around 7:30 with friends and my shoes have paid the price. They predict more rain for today. Aside from weather, breakfast was a highlight yesterday. Two friends from Beijing brought bread, fruit and pastries from a local bakery and market. In Chengdu you can find a bakery almost on every block - often near a coffee shop. I have still not conquered the photo upload ... read more