Chengdu, Sichuan

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Chengdu is great!!! It's got a really nice feel to it. Very laidback. Maybe it is the Bristolian city of China?? It is in Western China if that is any help. My Hainan Airways flight from Beijing was excellent. Considering it was only a 2.5 hr internal flight, I got a lovely hot meal, a free newspaper and beautiful stewardesses coo-ing over me the entire time. It certainly beats Sleazyjet and Ryanair back home.

As soon as I beat off the taxi touts and got a decent deal at the airport, I felt a warm feeling at being in Chengdu. It was early evening and darkness had fallen. Although it was hard to tell because Chendgu has the most magnificent taste in over the top, rave-tastic neon lighting. It is everywhere. All the buildings are lit up, some things that move are, but it is in an aesthetically pleasing way. Lot of complimenting soft pinks and cool blues emanate from intrcate tubes that curve softly and create an ambient feel, as opposed to tacky and head-ache inducing. I was lulled into a dreamlike state within 5 minutes. Then I arrived at Sim's Cozy Garden Hostel and the ecstasy kept on coming. This is a great hostel. More of a full on travel centre. It is huge, has an excellent bar/cafe with amazing terrace overlooking a chinese neighbourhood, and the beds in dorms are custom made bunks that are at least one and a half width of a single bed, and brilliantly come equipped with curtains round each one. Thus you can climb inside your oversized bed, pull the curtains (mine are green silk) and you have your own den/lair. In a hostel environment this is golddust. It means I can have my bedside light on without anyone telling me to turn it off, get changed without having to take everything into the bathroom with me, and experience the feeling of privacy that I forgot existed since leaving Bristol due to living in train carriages and open plan dormitories. All this for £2.48 a night.

Last night I went to the chinese opera. Oh.My.God. Wasn't too sure what to expect and to be honest, I wasn't really in the mood for it, but off I went, and it might be one of the best evening outings of this trip!!! It was like a showcase of chinese and Sichuan opera and entertainment. 5-10 minute acts came on and did their stuff, all the while my tea cup was being refreshed by a cute lady in traditional chinese dress standing 4 rows away from me with her watering can with a really long and thin 4 foot spout on it.



The hand shadow show was my favourite. He did INCREDIBLE things with his hands!!! And also a great little dude in an amazing midnight blue and gold jacket came out and played a strange string instrument that looked a tin of paint with a long stick and string coming off it. There was a dubious act towards the end that involved something like the village idiot/jester playing the fool. It was quite pantomime-esque - he kept putting a small bowl with a flame coming out of on his head and limbo dancing under a bench, whilst being screamed at by a geisha-type with foot inch thick make up.

This morning I hit the panda breeding centre. It did not disappoint!!! AGGHHH! They are too cute!!!