Chengdu and Panda Bears Oh-My

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Well we arrived in Chengdu after something like 15 or so hours on train but it was a soft sleeper train and most of that was while we were sleeping. Seeing some of the country side that is not in the tourist books through the train windows is a real treat. The mountains, the rivers and farms is a real treat. Chengdu was sunny and hot when we arrived at the train station and the first thing we learned to do was buy our train ticks right away for the next city before doing anything ... good thing ... as it was we had trouble getting a train to Kumning on the train we wanted so we decided to take a hard sleeper train at half the cost to get the time and date we wanted. Wow, it was half the cost of a soft sleeper so thats's more beer money ...

We took a taxi to the MIX Hostel which turned out to be the most charming place we had been to and the nicest since Leo's in Beijing. We took a private room but no air conditioning, BIG mistake but we lived. The food was great (HOT and SPICY) and on the last day we met up with the couple we met in Beijing whom we went to the Great Wall (Lu and Julliet) with as luck would have it they arrived at the same hostel.

Chengdu is known as the Panda Bear Capital of China (the world for that mater) where they have a Research Centre and Natural Reserve as there are very few Panadas left in the world and fewer in the wild. The research centre was amazing and so well done and all or most zoos in North America could take a lesson or two from this centre. The Panadas were so close up to see. I (Peter) got some great Video Clips on my camera of one Panada eating. THEN we got to pat and have our picture taken with a Panada which is a thrill and a once in a life time extremly rare opportuity. It poured rain that morning so the centre was void of most people and lucky for me my camera takes great low light pictures.

Chengdu is a charming city with a strong Tibet flavour and HOT spicy food. Beer is the only saving grace. We found this amazing temple where we met four old ladies sitting in a row and I was afraid to take their picture becasue earlier in the day an old lady of about 102 chased me down the street and grabed me a slapped me for taking her picture but I decided to risk it again (the slap wasn't that bad). Well they were so delighted to have me take their picture they were beside themselves and invited Annice to join them for a picture. What a treat, you just never know what to expect, a slap or a smile. It's all a risk here no matter what you do. A few minutes later as Annice and I were touring through the temple, the old ladies came running back to us and gave Annice a gift of a necklace of a Budda and put it around her neck then scurred off. What a specal moment.

We left Chendu for Kumming on the hard sleeper for a 15 hour trip. We are now thousands of killometres from Beijing in the mountains at about 3000 feet above sea level. This was an experince as it is a huge dorm on wheels with bunks three high. We arrived in Kumning and found the Number 3 bus right away and for one yuan (about 10 cents) we got to the HUMP HOSTEL in the thick of town and very loud and busy. Annice insisted we go out for Hotpot for lunch which is a pot of water in the centre of the tables with dead animals and stuff in it ... okay it was a chicken but it was the whole damn thing head and feet etc etc and more etc ...

It is raining here so tommorw we head off to Lan Zhang a small town of 300 about 10 hours away from here where we will experince our first over night sleeper bus, yes a bus with beds. We will stay in what is best described as a bed and breakfast in the mountains. More on that later ...

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