Day Eighteen
5.20 & we had arrived in Chengdu train station. We got off the train & followed the sea of people towards the exit. Outside was even worse, there where people all over the place. It didn't feel like it was very early morning. Now 5.50am & after struggling to get a cab from the train station we arrived at our next hostel. This place looked authentic & it seemed to have some traditional features. We checked in & headed straight to our room for a little sleep.
After a good few hours kip we was up & at it again. Time to explore Chengdu but where shall we start & what shall we do. We came out of the hostel & headed for the main road. Alongside the road was a massive river so we went over to take a look. The river was a weird green colour & surprisingly it smelt like the British seaside! As we had a map we decided to take a walk down the riverside & to the bridge in the distance. Whilst walking further & further it was becoming more apparent that this was the place for many tramps to sleep. Speaking of tramps we walked that bit further only to see an old tramp in the river totally nude (not a good sight) getting a wash. I was in total shock & I think Andy was too.
We approached a lovely orange coloured bridge but gosh did it feel weak. As a big bus drove over by where we were standing you could feel the vibrations ripping over the bridge. Maybe is was a good idea to get off the bridge & back on to the normal street. We crossed over a dual carriageway only to discover a massive supermarket but this was like one we have never seen before - it had 2 floors. We explored around the bottom floor which was the food section but as you went in the main door there was separate shops selling clothes & other things. On the next floor above you could buy mote clothes, household items, toys etc. This supermarket was a bit like home in the idea but presented it was the other end of the spectrum.
Walking around the food aisles we were now getting used to the food & what's what of the supermarket territory. We headed to the fresh section & counters where there is everything from pigs snouts, chicken feet to full ducks with heads that have been plucked & cooked whole. Some looked nice but most was off putting. I spotted a noodle counter where you could bag your own cooked food. I put some plain noodles in one bag & a massive scoop of chilli covered potatoes in another - free chopsticks were also provided so I grabbed a set of them & that was my breakfast & dinner sorted. Andy went to a separate counter where there was a mixture of pancake looking things, bread things & other cooked food. He got a pancake looking thing & a triangular bread thing. The counter was great though because you could get your items warmed up so Andy got his things warmed. Off to the paying station we trotted with our goods & then outside we parked our bums on some steps & munched away, delving in to each others food. We have to admit that the only horrible thing was the pancake looking food - not nice in the slightest. The other bread was that nice we went back in to the supermarket & got another piece each, better yet it was only 15p a slice!!!
Yeah we had full bellies with something half decent at last. Looking on the map there was a monastery just around the corner so we decide to walk & take a look. On the way we walked under this lovely archway & on to a traditional style street. There where nice market stalls but the people just sat there & didn't bother us so we looked & browsed in & out of the shops. A lot of the shops were selling jade & various other pieces of jewellery.
We had found the entry to the monastery but we had to pay ¥5 (50p) so we could take a look around. Inside the place was great. It was so peaceful & quiet you could hear all the lovely birds cheeping away. There were lovely shrines & buddhas inside with lots of people burning incense & praying, you could tell that this place was sacred & a place for worship.
There were monks walking around in their orange coloured robes & whilst walking through the gardens there were lots of old people sitting in a pagoda just chatting away & enjoying sipping tea out of their flasks. Further around in another pagoda there were monks & other people playing board games. In the middle of the garden there was a lovely water feature & in the water there were fish & turtles. We watched the fish & turtles for a while & we decided to leave & take the bus to Tianfu Square.
The bus was slow & packed but no where nearly as bad as Beijing & who can moan for 10p! We had the map out on the bus & whilst struggling to stand & hold on we had to try & navigate to the stop we needed to get off. Time to get off the bus & you exit through a door in the middle of the bus, I don't think we'll ever get used to that. Off the bus & we could see lots of designer shops like Gucci, Cartier etc. It still amazes us how poor China is yet how many designer shops they have got! We walked back on ourselves in order to get the square. We managed to get a across the dangerous crazy road & we entered the square. There where lovely water features & fountains all over the square & the place was so busy with people relaxing. It was nice because there was traditional Chinese music that was playing all around us. As we walked in to the middle of the square there was a massive statue outside the museum. The statue was of Mao with his hand raised in the air. It looked a bit scary & intimidating but I guess it reflected China's communism & political effect it enforces on it's people. We took a short walk around the square & watched the fountains lovely array of water bursts but apart from that & the statue there wasn't much more to see.
Back on the bus & heading back to our hostel I was excited as we had been told that there was a dumpling party being held in our hostel. I was intrigued as we had heard about these parties whilst in other places in China but we had never been to one.
Back at the hostel we relaxed until the start of the party. It was great, they had turned all the tables in the restaurant/TV room in to one big long one & there was about 20 of us all sitting round chatting & making dumplings. There where big bowls of dumpling mix right along the tables. The tables where covered in flour & we all had little rolling pins & plenty of dough balls. The idea was to roll a little piece of dough in to a circle, add some dumpling mix of shredded vegetables & meat in the middle & then fold it into a semi circle & seal it so the stuffing doesn't come out, a bit like miniature pasties at home. With there being loads of us round the table there was endless dumplings & me & Andy were making funny shaped ones (to some peoples dismay!) like fish, hearts, suns etc. Andy had flour all over his pants & my top was covered but thats nothing new as we are messy b*****s at the best of times. We sat there for about an hour making these dumplings & chatting away to different people. It was great fun & free! Most decent hostels in China always hold a dumpling party at least one night a week!
Once all the dumplings were made the plates where taken away & they all got boiled. Whilst they were being cooked the room got cleaned & fresh bowls & chopsticks were laid out. Also on each table was big bowls of a chilli syrup sauce used to dip your dumplings in. We parked our behinds ready to chow down. It was nice speaking to different people & hearing of everyones travel stories plus listening to free advice. The dumplings were going down a treat & the dipping sauce was extra hot but delicious. With full bellies the chatting still continued with more beer being bought from the bar. As they say though "all good things must come to an end!".
It was such a nice start to our stay in Chengdu - let's hope the first impression lasts in to tomorrow.......