in the heart of china ...

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I started my rtw (round the world) trip today. I had the great pleasure of flying Thai Airways for the first time, and all I can say is wow, what a great way to start an rtw!The minute I walked into the plane I was impressed by the beautiful and colorful traditional dress they use as their uniforms.The crew were very well put together and extremely professional.And, they worked with a constant smile, which is nice to see, and as I'm sure my ex-colleagues will attest is a refreshing experience! 😉

The trip is going well so far.I'm at the hostel in Chengdu and have already met a local guide and a Chinese from the north of the country.We had a very traditional Szechuanese meal that consisted of a simmering pot of oil and lots of red chili peppers set in the middle of the table, into which all sorts of ingredients were cooked on the spot and shared between us. Honestly, I don't think I know half of what I ate!There were noodles, dumplings, seaweed (or something similar), mushrooms, sheep meat (always a first time for everything!), local vegetables and a bunch of other ingredients we dipped into the spicy oil.

I don't have very high tolerance for hot/spicy food.I was told by my companions that it would only be a 'little' spicy, but when the pot of oil started to simmer, there was so much pepper that my eyes started to burn a little bit!I started to get nervous at the thought of not being able to tolerate the spiciness, but I was surprised I was actually able to eat enough for dinner!I have some great pictures of my first authentic szechuanese dinner/adventure, but I just bought a digital camera (I know, about time!) and I still have to figure out how to send pictures on the net!Hopefully, I'll be able to figure it out soon.Until then, my attemt at describing my adventures will have to do!

My main reason for coming to China is to visit Tibet!I am still trying to organize my flight and permit needed to visit the region. Hopefully I'll be going there by Monday, latest Tuesday. Until then, will figure out how to pass the time until the trip perhpas visiting a panda breeding sanctuary or some other sites in/around Chengdu. From the pictures I've seen in guidebooks, China has many beautiful places to visit, but this rtw is all about fulfilling my dreams of seeing certain places around the world, so the rest of the country will have to wait for another visit.

This is it for today's adventure ... I'll share more news when I can.

Take care and keep in touch!

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Photos

Hot pot
Chilli-filled hot pot. Can you feel the heat? ;)

Chendu at night
Not quite Paris at night, but pretty enough.