Stop #4: Chengdu.
It seems that we bounce from heaven to hell back to heaven very often because my-oh-my were we in for a treat in Chengdu. A large, spacious condominium with a panoramic view of the city? Scoreee. Not to mention, a DIVIDED OFF shower from the rest of the bathroom??? Pure. Spoiled.
Our most luxurious accomodation of our entire stay in China thus-far
Following the best shower of my life (I even shaved my legs :0), we visited their famous panda base. We arrived around 3:30pm, which apparently is too late, because the panda nurseries were closed and most of the pandas had gone inside to rest. Sadness. We still managed to see some mischievous panda cubs though, rolling around in every direction, and that was enough to satisfy me.
These pandas were one of the reasons I was able to convince my friends to come to China
Since Chengdu is in the Sichuan province, we knew we had to try some of their spicy dishes, since they are known for their, well, spicy cuisine. We went to a hot pot place recommended by a local and while it was very delicious, the spice was nearly the death of us. We had to stop eating, not from fullness, but from pain. Even after we finished, the pain of what I imagine burning in hell would be like, moved from my mouth to my stomach. Continue reading
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