As opposed to the rest of the country, teahouses and its culture is VERY strong here. Teahouses everywhere, in parks, in shopping streets, in temples, etc. A range of ages come to sit, chat, play games, sleep (yes!), read, and just plain relax.
Often, you pay for a "cup of tea" - they give you a cup with tea leaves and a flask, then you just pour the hot water in the cup and drink until the hot water is all gone or the tea is kaput, your pick.
Awesome!!!
This particular dish is tofu cubes, covered in spicy sauce. Lips tingled!!!
Is indeed giant!!!
Some info:
http://www.absolutechinatours.com/china-travel/Chengdu-attractions/Leshan-Giant-Buddha-516.html
There are two areas in Chengdu to see the giant pandas: the chengdu breeding facility and the nature perserve.
The chengdu breeding research center is only 6km out of the city, easily reachable while the Wolong nature reserve park has been moved to Ya'an, a good 2 to 4 hours away by bus due to the earthquake and the subsequent damage a few years ago.
I booked a tour through my hostel, going to the breeding center. The giant pandas and the enclosures are the same as any other zoo with the pandas - I've seen the pandas before with family, I've forgotten where though. But the real gem was having the opporunity to see a real life tiny panda cub, only a few days old (as big as one's palm!) and two few weeks old cubs. Woot! No pictures of them allowed.
Upon arrival I decided to book a ticket to see Chengdu's Sichuan opera. Little did I expect to find it feeling much like a vaudeille performance. For a hour to a hour and half (I didn't time it) actors performed short skits of music, stories (hilarous one of a wife forcing her husband to crawl under a bench and roll on top of it with a bowl of lit hot oil on his head, and then blowing it out while still atop the head), juggling with the feet (can anyone actually roll and flip a large vase or a side table on their feet?!), face changing and fire blowing, and poetric singing/dancing. Complete with average English subtitles so at least we could follow the subject. Everyone sat patiently until the face changing (which is actually a skit of changing masks without actually touching it - I don't know how they do it) and all of the sudden arms and cameras came out. Ha.
Must be my long lost twin! :-D
Cool!
Ha!
Yum!
Yuk!
:-D
In Yangshuo, over karst peaks and villages down below. What a great experience!!!
A few kiddies and old people came out to watch us and wave to us. I cannot help feel guilty having spent on something extravagent like this while they're probably living day to day. I'd see some apartment complexes being half finished, and yet people living there. Some working in the farm. Do they attribute this kind of activity to "these rich foreigners" and focus on their own daily lives? Or do they strive to reach equal status? Is this a motivation or an impediment?
Urrrgh. I need to stop "over-thinking" and just enjoy myself in the process. I DID! :-D
Strolling the long way around the two beaches at Coloane island towards the old village I came across this huge spider! One of the biggest Ilve seen - yuk.
China is giving me some new ways to travel! This pleases me greatly!
I've traveled by standing, hard seat and hard sleeper (6 bunk beds, I've been in top, middle and bottom bunks) on a train. I have yet to try a soft sleeper but there is little reason to do so as it is a luxurious verison of the hard sleeper (4 bunk beds, "softer" beds...)
And now, tonight I will finally experience a sleeper bus! Yes, a bus with beds. two bunk beds (top and bottom. I'm in bottom) in 3 rows of 4 beds, with extras in the back. As expected, it was rather pricey, but....
I've been on buses with nice thick reclining chairs that *almost* feel like beds but this is just flat out beds! I am so excited!
Recent Comments
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Pafmartwo said:
Interesting green tea travelouge! I find drinking too much green tea, despite how much I love it, makes me jittery.... read more
on A green tea rant :-D -
Pafmartwo said:
Which airline, Lisa? I'm sorry you get that kind of discriminatory treatment - from everyone. I like your urn -... read more
on Sorry blog, I've been neglectful! -
certixus said:
Tsk tsk, it's on the right side of the navigation bar - under "my links" read more
on Rainy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday -
Pafmartwo said:
Lisa - can you direct me to your google pictures again? I've missed a bunch. Thank you. read more
on Rainy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
When you wrote you were taking trains, I had images of wooden benches crammed with people, chickens and crates -... read more
on IMG00248.jpg