Chengdu: Three Days In

Saffron are in Chengdu. Right now we're just chilling out at a net bar. Heaven forbid we spend more than a day without Internet access. I don't have a card reader to post pictures, so that will have to wait till Friday.

Friday, Day One:

We left the apartment at about 1:30 and took a taxi to the airport bus stop, hoping to make it there before the bus left at 2:00. We didn't. It worked out though. We found a very enthusiastic taxi driver who took us and a Chinese man to the airport for 30 kuai each. It was only 4 kuai more than the bus, and we probably got there faster. We ate some snacks at the airport and went to the flight gate. This is the first time I've gotten on a plane that wasn't loading from the actual terminal. We had to get on a little shuttle buss and drive all of 100 feet to the plane. Safety issues, I know, but it was still funny that we needed to drive that far to the plane.

The plane ride was was. I love short rides, because I can sleep most of the way. I think I only woke up long enough to groggily eat the in-flight peanuts and take a sip of water.

Although the directions to the hostel from the airport were very good, we managed to get lost about three times. The people at the hostel were very patient with us whenever we called and asked for help getting there. When we got there at about 9:00 we checked in, put our stuff in our room, and had our dinner around some cozy fires and chatted with some of the other travelers.

Saturday, Day Two:

We met a cool guy from England around the "campfires" the night before. Robert, said guy, came with us to wander around Chengdu. We started off with a nice walk to see the statue of Chairman Mao. It was quite impressive. I wish This computer had a card reader, because I would love to post pictures now. They'll have to wait till Friday night when I get home.

After we saw the Mao Statue, it was off to the Mao Museum. It was hardly a museum, but in it's own way that made it even more impressive. It was located down a back alley street, and we actually walked past it once thinking it was just some guys house. Which it was. The Mao Museum is what you get if you take all the old nicknacks and junk out of your grandmothers house and put them into a small shack the size of my living room. (Not you Grandmom. Your house is very clean.) The Mao Museum is run by an old man who simply likes to show off his collection of old Mao badges and communist paraphernalia. He was quite friendly, and was more than happy to let us wander around while he sat in his little wooden chair by the door. It cost us 5 kuai to get in, and another 5 to take pictures, though I think he made up the price on the spot. Just when we left his weird friend showed up, sporting no less than 5 Mao badges himself. They were quite nice, and were very happy to get their pictures taken as well. The whole place had a very cozy feel to it, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has the chance to go to Chengdu.

We didn't have any specific destination in mind when we wandered around and ended up at The People's Park. I'm always amazed when people can put a park in the middle of the city, and design it so well, you forget you're actually IN a city. The Peoples park does a great job of this. It's mostly a lot of stone paths and tea houses, but there's a nice lake in the middle and we were able to rent a boat for only 20 kuai. We spent about an hour rowing around the central area and the smaller canals on the edge.

After the People's Park, we were dead tired, and went back to the hostel for a nap and some more food. We tried to find a club later that night, but because of the Spring Festival coming up, it closed early, and we weren't able to find it.

Sunday, Day Three:

PANDAS ARE SO CUTE! We had to wake up early to take the tour, and it was colder than a freezer outside, but it was worth it. We went with Robert, and a couple other people from the hostel to the Chengdu Panda Base. I had heard complaints from some people that the pandas were quite lazy, and were often sleeping when they went to see them, but we must have been lucky today, because almost all of them were up and about. Well, up and eating at least. They're still quite lazy. We saw some of the young pandas. Four of them were sitting on a large wooden platform munching away at bamboo. They moved as little as possible, but unlike a sloth, they were simply lazy and didn't feel like putting the effort into getting more food.

We only got a glimpse of the giant pandas, but what really made the day worth it was the baby pandas. The tour guide said they were about five months old, and they were adorable. There were two wooden cages for the baby pandas to climb around and play in, and the made the most of it. There were four in each cage and one off in a pen by himself. Words can hardly describe how great they were so I'll leave that for the pictures later.

Now that we've returned from the pandas, we've showered, napped, and gone to this net bar. In a minute, we will return to the hostel for a dumpling party. Good Times. Good Times.