Entry #1

Greetings from Chengdu in Central Sichuan province where the food is hot! Chengdu is China's 5th most populous city with 13 million people. It has a certain charm that Beijing lacked... more open space, more trees, and (slightly) less air and noise pollution. Our first night in Chengdu we sampled what Sichuan is best known for -- hot pot. The bring a bowl divided in half: one half hot chili oil, the other some sort of clear broth containing floating cucumbers and tomatoes along with a fish head. This bowl was placed on a gas burner sitting in a hole in our table. As the bowl heated, its contents boiled. We selected skewers of vegetables, tofu, and other things to dip into the chili. It was an interesting experience which warrants another attempt, but perhaps with someone properly versed in the procedure.

Yesterday we managed to walk the streets of Chengdu for a solid ten hours, with our only respite being an extended lunch at a vegetarian restaurant on the grounds of Wenshu temple. The monastery itself is Chengdu's largest and best-preserved Buddhist temple.

Before boarding our 26-hour train ride to Chengdu, we spent three nights in and around Beijing. Beijing was a bustle all hours of the day: food stalls, tea houses, and travel agents line the streets and alleyways. Our hostel was great, nestled in a narrow alleyway called a hutong, and with backpackers from all over coming in and out.

The highlight was a 10K hike on China's Great Wall (Changcheng) from Jinshanling to Simatai. The views were spectacular. The day was scorching, and the hike was steep, and the distances were vast. We were accompanied by a pair of local farmers who make it their daily business to walk the great wall with laowai (foreigners) in hopes of selling picture books, postcards, and photographs before they turn back for home.

We're in Chengdu for one more day before heading out to the mountains for a few days. We'll be back through Chengdu to this hostel (a renovated printing factory) before heading onward.

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