I should have known from our experiences at Xi-an, that Chengdu wasn't going to be a small leafy village, dedicated to tourists. Chengdu is a huge bustling city of over four million! Towering skyscrapers and gleaming shopping malls sit alongside temples and tea houses. In the back streets, small scale businesses are tucked into every available space. Despite its huge size, population and horrific air quality, we really enjoyed Chengdu. Heaven: We visited 'The Peoples Park' to see where the locals try to get a bit of quiet time. Quiet time? What were we thinking? I have never seen such a busy public space. It almost made the London Parks look lifeless! Karaoke contestants, story-tellers, break-dancers, chess players, candy floss sellers, tea merchants, ear canal cleaners, dog walkers, opera singers, balloon magicians, candy makers and loads
... read more