Day 7 Xian to Chengdu

We began as usual now with a big breakfast, which is needed because we may not get to lunch before 2:00 p.m. after we have walked miles and climbed many flights of stairs.  This tour is not for the weak.  We boarded our bus for the Provincial Museum in Xian.  This is a museum that contains relics of China's ancient history.  There we saw bronze pots, terracotta soldiers, ceramic pots and animals (probably the first use of glazing), and other objects that were thousands of years old.  The many Dynasties are still confusing, but I have learned that the Terracotta Army was constructed during the Qin Dynasty about 200 B.C. 

Then we were off to the airport to fly to Chengdu.  During this flight, we flew over Jingling Mountain, which means we have transferred from northern China to southern China.  These are almost two separate cultures.  For example, the food in northern China is based on wheat (noodles), and the food in southern China is based on rice.  The flight was about an hour and a half long and was again in a large airplane (A320) that was nearly full.  Both airports (Xian and Chengdu) were crowded and bustling.  Chengdu is building an entirely new terminal, so we had to disembark somewhere out on the runway and take a bus through the construction to the old terminal.  We stopped on the way into the city for a lunch consisting of a variety of Chinese food.

Next we went to a park that was a quiet oasis in a noisy city (Chengdu is a city of 12.5 million).  There were paths through a woods (much of it was bamboo) that led to a tea house.  Tea houses are common and are the places where local people gather to visit, drink tea, and play mahjong.   Mahjong is serious business (with automatic tile-shuffling tables and gambling).  Several foursomes were playing when we arrived.  We were seated at a long table and served jasmine tea.  While we were there men came around offering backrubs (for a price).  Judy had a good backrub.  The park was a very pleasant respite after our busy schedule and having made our way through two airports.

After the park visit, we headed to a special restaurant for a big dinner.  It takes a long time to get around in Chengdu (as it had in Beijing and Xian) because we are traveling about a city with a large population and more cars, trucks, and buses than you can imagine.  The drivers seem to consider driving as a contact sport with each vying for advantage.  Every intersection is a war among drivers, motor bikers, bicyclers, and pedestrians.  But we have yet to see an accident.  Dinner was another abundance of Chinese food; we sampled most of it, but I can't remember what we ate.  Again we saw a city under construction.  New high rise office buildings and apartments were being built everywhere and were brightly lighted at night.

Finally, we arrived at the hotel.  Our luggage was waiting in our room.  Now we had to do some laundry.  Every day has been hot and humid, which means that clothes must be washed.  And tomorrow is another day.

Pictures:  Chengdu Tea Garden, Xian Provincial Museum