February 18-24 2017
Travel Itinerary:
Flight Information:
Sat, 18FEB17
UA277 DENVER, CO(DEN) 8:00 AM to SAN FRANCISCO, CA(SFO) 9:52 AM 777-200
Sat, 18FEB17
UA9 SAN FRANCISCO, CA(SFO) 1:30 PM to CHENGDU CN(CTU) 7:55 PM (19FEB) 787-9
Fri, 24FEB17
UA8 CHENGDU CN(CTU) 10:55 AM to SAN FRANCISCO, CA(SFO) 7:40 AM 787-9
Fri, 24FEB17
UA223 SAN FRANCISCO, CA(SFO) 11:02 AM to DENVER, CO(DEN) 2:35 PM 757-300
Total Flight Miles: 15,674 (Per United Airlines)
Hotel: Sheraton Chengdu Lido Hotel
Transportation: Walking, Taxi & Metro
Exchange Rate; $1 USA = 6.87 RMB CN ( per XE 02.17.17)
Air Quality: SUN:182 MON:174-250 TUES: 42-250 WEDS: 68-137 THURS: 89-158 FRI: 89-174
(See Air Quality Index: http://aqicn.org/city/chengdu/ for level descriptions) For the most part the air in Chengdu during my visit was moderate to very unhealthy.
Mask: 3M Aura Particulate Respirator 9211 N95, Stapled Flat Fold Disposable, Exhalation Valve
Air Quality Index (AQI)
PM2.5 Health Effects Statement
Introduction:
The impetus for this trip was the Panda Breeding Grounds. United has a direct flight from San Francisco. Also Chengdu is the capital of the Sichuan Province, so I plan to find some good spicy foods hopefully from street market set-ups. During my Asian travels I look for street food opportunities and whatever the marketplaces have to offer. I have instructions to bring Ansley & Zoe some panda dolls, also will pick up one for Jenna’s new baby. I booked this last October before I planned the upcoming (May 2017) Nepal trip which connects through Chengdu. No big deal, I enjoy the travel. Short overnights. Again I have chosen United and Sheraton as my travel partners.
Saturday February 18
Early dark morning as I pull the remainder of my gear together. 6AM quick ride to the airport with Jo. Easy check in and security. I walk down to Starbucks for a tall coffee and then head to the United lounge. Plane is here at gate 36, boarding starts at 7:20 and it looks like we will be early into SFO. I forgot my watch! Critical component that helps me to navigate the time changes somewhat. I will look for a cheap knock off in Chengdu. Pretty sunrise along the edges of a big cloud layer that moved in overnight. 7:15 and headed to the gate.
Big plane 777 seat 2L advertised flight time 2hr5 min. The big storms have severely affected the traffic in and out of southern California for several days, but not impacting northern CA. This 777 has the pod seats more common on the international flights. The flight attendant has arrived with a beverage and the boarding has completed in the front cabin. Containerized luggage is loading outside my window.
Roll back “on time” and proceed to the penalty box where we are waiting for a take off slot. Sort of the equivalent of the cell phone waiting area at the airport. Pilot is advertising a 20 min wait. I guess this is the current algorithm for an on time departure.
Good view of the snow covered Rockies and the under construction Gaylord Resort. The flight attendant has taken the breakfast order, omelette, and the captain says we should be moving in 5min. I have a 3hr plus layover in SFO so no stress on connection time. We get in line and takeoff on runway 25 headed west. Wheels up at 8:32.
8:49am 36,484′ ground speed 492mph
Stayed around 40,000′ most of the flight. Circled around for 20+ min and touched down at 9:53PT.
Very windy on approach. White caps on the back bay. Chengdu flight leaves from G91 at 1:30pm.
The flight from Denver was good. Heavy Cloud cover all the way, maybe the spill over of all the storms that have been pounding California this week, now headed east.
Interesting exhibit of mechanical gambling machines on the way to terminal G. Busy airport. The International United Club is standing room only, so head back to the domestic gates and United lounge by gate 80.
Chengdu flight is on schedule with a 1:30 pm PT departure. Boarding begins at 12:40pm from gate G91.
The plane has been at the gate since 7:39 this morning when it arrived from Singapore, yet boarding is delayed while they service the aircraft. Better safe than sorry.
Boarded 30min late. Seat 1D. All is well. Sherry and Roy are the attendants in our section. Advertised flight time is 13hrs14min. Pushed back at 1:42pm. We are touring the airport heading for a runway. Not a full flight. The map program shows the plane arriving in SFO not departing. Guessing it will reset. Long drive to a runway. Excited for the unknown on this trip to China. We are out by the water turning onto the runway – time to head west.
Wheels up at 2:13pm.
2:43 at 36000′ ground speed 503mph
3:21 pt heading out over the pacific below Portland off Eugene.
4:00 pm pt we are still hugging the coast. We are up into Canada off the north of Vancouver Island. Ground speed 585mph at 36,000′
4:31pm filled out immigration card. Beer for the evening chaser. Getting out the iPad and the Bose headphones to listen to some tunes as I try to sleep. Still hanging off the coast of Canada, by Prince Rupert.
35998′ altitude ground speed 576mph
Heading towards Sitka.
Sunday February 19
1:56am pt 40007′ 507mph ground speed
839miles to go.
About 1hr20min to go. I will get a Taxi to the Sheraton. Check in is at lounge on the 35th floor per Jareau Shi from the lounge team who contacted me prior to arrival via email.
Touchdown Chengdu 7:26pm CT
Quick immigration and baggage. Hazy glowing lights on the long walk to the taxi line. Showed the driver my Mandarin print out of the hotel address and we are off. Taxi is propane powered. Air is bad, headache bad. Passed the Airport Hotel where I might overnight on the Nepal trip. Very close to the terminal, but there are major highways to cross to get there. Traffic good until main road to downtown then four lanes bumper to bumper crawl.
Bright Lights, Big City…. Drivers more civilized than their counterparts in Beijing. Hazy.
Pull into the Sheraton Chengdu Lido Hotel. 53RMB. Met by the doorman and bellman who direct & escort me to the 35th floor executive lounge for check in. King bed non smoking rm 3216 – They may have a suite tomorrow, I should check with the staff in the morning. The young woman who checks me in has little English (proportionally much more than my Mandarin) but we communicate ok and she even gets me a Perrier. She and her associate get a giggle as I teach them how to pronounce the name. They were close, initially calling it puro. The room is fine, got on the internet, FaceTime with Jo and cleaned up. Got some sleep but finally wide awake so started checking out the sights and logistics for getting around. Forecast is for unhealthy air Monday, so will wear a mask and check out the Tianfu area and visit the science museum. The map the hotel provided has such tiny print I can’t read it, so will need to look for a better map to aid my walkabouts. I use the Apple Maps app as Google is blocked. Also, there are apparently 4 subway lines in service now, however most online documentation only reflects 2 lines operational. Chengdu has an aggressive metro expansion plan ongoing. The extra lines (3 & 4) will give me easier access to some sights. Looks like I can get a taxi to the Panda Breeding Complex for 40-50RMB. Probably the easiest solution. The camera store I passed coming in last night is part of the Computer City/Digital Building complex and it looks like I can reach that via the metro to the Sichuan Metro Stop.
Maybe the folks in the lounge will have some ideas on where to find an alternative map or can at least show me on their tiny map where some places are such as Jinli Street, Chun Xi Pedestrian street and the Wide & Narrow Alleys. I also looked at some Sichuan Opera spots for a possible evening outing.
I spend the balance of the night watching a lot of CGTN (China Global Television Network) which is an updated and improved version of the CCTV News channel which it has replaced. When I was on my last China trip they were advertising the new channel and were taking applications. Very good reporting with a balanced view of the world events. No obvious propaganda slant. Still a lot of military shows on Chinese TV.
Monday February 20 6.1miles Walkabout
Headed to the lounge for breakfast around 8:00am. When I reached the lounge the woman in charge asked if I wanted to move my room now or after breakfast. I already have a great room, but I rolled the dice and choose to move after breakfast. I had some stir fry noodles, rice, a hard boiled egg, coffee and some fruit. No juices that I could see. (They were in a small cooler as I discovered the next day.) I was given keys for 1613, a suite room, and I checked it out. The living room window was left open to clear out the cigarette smell, but it wasn’t too bad. I packed up my gear and moved to the new room. Lots of space in a corner unit, lower floor. Interesting that even though it is a suite room it doesn’t have the amenities of the previous club level King room. I moved the rose and fruit plate, left by management in my old room, to the new room. When I took the key cards from the old room back to the lounge I used the guest computer to access TravelChinaGuide.com and printed out the descriptions of a few sights for the day. I got settled into the new room, grabbed a mask and put it on, packed my gear for the day and headed out around 10:00. Destination #1: Tianfu Square, the symbolic heart of the city.
Walk to Tianfu Square – 1/4mile walk. Trying to get use to the face mask. Not many people wearing one even though the air is bad. Even little children go unprotected. Traffic lights at the big intersections by the square and pedestrians and motorists obey them. Amazing change from Beijing and Shanghai. Interesting designs in the square with a below ground shopping/dining complex. To the north is the Science Museum and a statue of Chairman Mao. Also there is access to the Metro Station via the underground area of the Square. Luxurious Gardens around the perimeter. I cross over to the Museum, but it is closed for refurbishment until September. I am still struggling with the mask, but getting the rhythm of it. Almost too warm in the muggy haze. I sit on a bench in the park and pull out the printouts from the lounge. I am feeling jet lagged so decide to check out some of the shopping/market areas via the metro.
Metro Lines 1 & 2 intersect at Tianfu Square. 2RMB and one stop on line #1 gets me to the Chunix Road station. Exit E into a pedestrian only shopping area, mostly major upscale brands and some dining down side alleys. It’s getting to be lunch time and the area is pretty busy.
Not much in the way of photo ops/not rustic, just the modern concrete and glass of many international stores, so back to the metro and catch Line #2 west to the People’s Park Station in search of the Wide & Narrow alleys. I followed the flow, just a short walk north on Changshun Upper Road until I reached an overhead walkway crossing the street to the Alleys entrance.
Older period restoration into a shopping dining pedestrian only area. Interesting and some photo ops. Nestled into this market area is a huge Starbucks.
I think about eating, but nothing is the street food experience I am looking for so head to the Wide & Narrow Alley Metro Station which is located right at the head of the alleys on one of the new lines, line 4. Next stop is the Computer/Digital City area that I saw on the ride in from the airport.
One transfer at Luomashi Station to Line 1 and I am headed south to the Sichuan Gymnasium stop and come out of the underground right at Digital City. Huge multi floor building with most everything electronic. I am interested in checking out the Sony RX10 3, a “bridge” camera with a 24-600mm zoom lens. Could be helpful for capturing those always just out of reach eagles in the Wildlife preserve. The feature set looks good at a price point less than buying a long lens for the A7R2. I check out the camera at several Sony Stores, looks pretty good but any hope of a deal in the country where they are made is not realistic. In fact it is being sold for $200+ more than I can get it for in the states. Lots more to see there, but I am running out of steam so head back to the hotel. The trains are getting crowded as rush hour begins.
I regroup in the room and communicate with home. It looks like tomorrow will be a better air day. I will get to the Art and History museums. Early dinner and drinks in the lounge where I fall asleep checking my mail. Not out too long, but call it a day and head to the room. Some sleep but end up wide awake around 3am, so watch some movies in a failed attempt to get back to sleep.
Tuesday February 21 6.4 miles walkabout
Just gray out the window, I was expecting some sunlight to signal the morning, but no it’s just gray and all the pedestrians with umbrellas indicate rain. Air quality is still bad, maybe the rain will wash some of the pollution out. Enjoy some stir fry and rice and baked beans for breakfast.
Surprise, after breakfast, the air quality is now in the “ok” range. I walk down and tour the Sichuan Art Museum. Show passport and entry is free. Good galleries on floor 1 (painting), 2 (wood block) and partial 5 (ancient ). Many empty spaces on all floors.
Walk over to the nearby Chengdu Museum which is on the east side of the Tianfu Square. There is a charge to enter.
Excellent exhibits related to Chengdu History and links to the Silk Road History. Also very interesting information/exhibits about the Dunhuang Grottoes. Had some tea and a seat on the 6th floor snack bar area then headed over to the Tianfu Square to catch the metro to the Wuhou Temple area.
I entered the underground shopping area on the east side and walked into a food court. Everything is in Chinese as I wander between the venues and I have some hesitation about what the foods are and the prices. A woman at one of the restaurants sees me looking at their menu and comes over to see if she can assist. We pour over the picture menu, I am looking for soup or stir fry but my communication skills are lacking so pick two items and hope for the best. I get two large plates of noodles, one light and one dark. The dark has what could be something in the tastes like chicken food group family. The hostess brings me a bowl of rice and some tea and one of the bus boys notices my confusion with the chop sticks and shows me how to attach the packaged tips. Funny moment, but he handles it professionally. I’m sure he had some fun relating the incident to his friends. More food than I can eat, I leave a mess and with a full stomach head for the metro. I take the metro from Tianfu line 1 to Sichuan Station, change to the Line 3 and get off at Gaoahengqiao Station. I get my bearings using the compass App on my phone and head east on Wuhouci Avenue. There are a number of travel / sporting goods stores along the way and the entrance to the Wuhou Temple is on the left roughly a quarter mile from the station.
Very busy area with tour groups loading/unloading various size buses, street people and tourists all milling about. There is a long line to get an entrance ticket so I walk past the ticket booth and find the gate to Jinli Street on the left, a restored Ancient shopping street, also known as the “First Street of the Shu Kingdom” as it was one of the busiest commercial areas during the Shu Kingdom (221-263). Much has been done to try and maintain the architectural look of that ancient era with all the present day shops and dining establishments occupying the “period” looking buildings. Interesting area to walk around and I end up on a side road that leads back towards the Temple. Past a small pond and an area with trees and trellis layered with brightly colored prayer bags, there is a small entrance gate into the Temple.
I buy a ticket and get right in. It is late in the afternoon and the light is fading and the air quality is diminishing. Wuhou Temple is dedicated to Zhuge Liang, the Marquis Wu of the Shu Kingdom. He was a confidant of the Emperor Liu Bei.
I get in a very pleasant and interesting walk through the complex. There are 5 main temple sections and the surrounding gardens, ponds and flowering trees created a very peaceful environment. Many well preserved Gates, various buildings and statues lined the walkways.
I end my tour back at the main gate on Wuhouci Avenue. Across the street from the Temple are many shops leading into small streets. A good place to explore on another day. I walk back to the Metro and make the transfers back to the Luomashi Station which is a short walk from the Hotel. All the trains are packed as the rush hour has begun.
I regroup in the room and head up to the lounge for some food and drink as the hazy grey afternoon turns to night. Some of the taller buildings to the south around Tianfu Square are lit up, some with light shows, but nothing to compare to the Shanghai view.
Wednesday February 22 8.5miles walkabout
A few hours sleep mostly dozing during a movie and a soccer game (Frankfurt vs Ingolstadt, Ingolstadt won). It is the day to see the Pandas, Thatched Cottage of Du Fu and the Antique Market. Spent some sleepless time looking at transport options. I will use the computer and printer in the lounge to print out the Panda Research Base address in Mandarin so I can show it to a cab driver. The Market and Cottage are accessible via Metro and walking.
Breakfast in the lounge with a coffee to go. No need for panda location printouts as the hostess in the lounge has a hotel card with the address on one side and different sites in mandarin on the other side, including the Panda Research Center. That should work.
Text with Jo.
Doorman gets a cab, it’s a few minutes after 8am.
Cha mach a dee (or something like this) is Panda. Rush hour. Could take awhile. I am up for the city/scenic cruise. Going to be an “expensive” taxi ride. Traffic is nuts & slow. Out in the “flow”. Hope to make it there by Panda feeding time which is advertised as 9am. Air quality is just “unhealthy” this gray chilly morning.
Heading Northeast, the driver takes me on a few loops as he zeroes in on the Panda base, and he drops me off right in front of the gate after pulling a nasty u turn across a median into traffic to get there. 65RMB.
It’s 9:00 and I wander towards the Adult Panda Enclosures after checking out a large standing map of the area just inside the entrance. There is a large pond to my right as I walk the path. The area supports a “shuttle” service for a fee to transport visitors from the front gate back into the park and these drive by periodically on the roadways spread throughout. It is quiet and there are some bird calls, including the shrieks of peacocks. A 10min walk brings me to my first viewing area and sightings of Pandas chomping down on the morning bamboo. The enclosures are very large walled and treed, vegetated areas where the Panda are free to roam. Interspersed are wooden platforms and layered structures built of bamboo where their meals are brought (big piles of fresh bamboo). The platforms provide them a play/sleeping area. This first enclosures provide the model for most of the other viewing areas and I wander around and check them all out. The laugh of the morning was at the enclosure for the younger pandas, where two young balls of fur kept rolling down a small hill as they lost their footing on the ascent.
The research center is focused on rescuing endangered pandas from the wild, rehabilitation and breeding. They see their mission as saving the Panda’s from extinction. They “loan” baby pandas to the world’s zoos under the requirement that they are returned to the center after an agreed upon interval. During my stay in Chengdu one such 4 year old young panda was in the news as he was in transit back to China from the Washington, DC Zoo. I slowly wound my way back to the entrance and a visit with the black swans and koi in the large pond. Excellent visit, time well spent.
The park was getting busier as I exited and headed to the right in search of the bus stop. The 198 or 189A buses are supposed to intersect with the metro line 3 at the Dong Wu Yuan Station. Not sure if that is an endpoint of just a stop, guess I will find out. Crowded bus and gets busier as we cruise down Panda Avenue. After a few miles the bus takes a left at the end of the road and many passengers exit the bus. I look back as the bus takes off and catch a glimpse of a metro station, I missed my stop. I signal the driver and exit at the next stop by a huge Ikea store and walk back to the metro station. Line 3 – Station’s English name is Panda Avenue. Next destination is the Song Xian Qiao Antique Market, 22 Huan Hua Bei Lu
People’s Hospital Metro Stop Line 4 – take a right south on Huan Hua, the market is at the end of the block on the left hand side. Nice tree lined street with a variety of businesses and shops. Many “antiquities” and semi precious stones and beads.
There is a large crowd drawn to shouting match between some individuals and the police. I avoid the area and head across the street to the park area and approach to the Du Fu Thatched Cottage complex. Along the way I take a path on the left into a large courtyard and walk into the Sichuan Museum grounds. I purchase a ticket at a remote booth, walk through the gardens and enter the museum on the 2nd floor.
There are 4 levels including the ground or basement level with interesting art and artifacts and shops selling goods reflective of the exhibits on each level. The Zhang Daqian exhibit was very interesting.
Thursday February 23 8.6 miles
As of 6:30am the air quality is again not too unhealthy, actually characterized by my two apps as moderate no mask needed. Final day of this trip will be spent looking for the elusive general markets not characterized as tourist. There is not much information searchable on the Internet, but the area south of the North Railway Station appears to be a good prospect.
I will also visit Qintai Street which appears to be a tourist area similar to the Yu Yuan Gardens area in Shanghai. Also on my list is a re-visit to the Wide & Narrow alleys (Kuanzhaixiangzi) for some Panda toys and if time is on my side a visit to the Thatched Cottage of Wu Fu.
I walk to the Luomashi Station and catch the Line 1 train to the North Railway Station.
Jackpot! I immediately walk into many shops primarily selling clothing and travel accessories such as suitcases and food items. Very busy loud hectic area with many travelers rolling to their next destination. There’s been some rain and the ground is wet. Security is very pr4evalent around the train station then thins out as I move east in search of more markets, specifically in search of fabrics and mala string for Jo. I run into bedding shops, towels, sheets, bed spreads then yarns to the south west. I move to the east and hit the motherland of wholesale clothing, housewares, plush stuffed toys, luggage and finally cloth. But no cloth I want to purchase. Busy busy with scooters loaded with goods driving through the malls sidewalks streets hustle and bustle cars and people from every angle. I am looking for crafts and art but find nothing. I pick up a few items, enjoy the buzz and variety.
Time to move on – I get on a food street but can’t communicate what I want, so frustrated and hungry I move on to the metro and head down to Tianfu Square. I return to the food court and find the place I ate at yesterday. The same hostess is there and she recognizes me. I order the dark noodle plate and enjoy the rice and tea and slurp some noodles. I also sit at a table that is not directly under the speaker blasting out the tunes as I had the day before (good move). Full, I get on line 2 and head for the Tonghuimen Station to visit Qintai Street.
I get daily emails from Conde Nast Traveler, and yesterday there was an article on up and coming cities not to miss, one of which was Chengdu. It showed a picture of Qintai street and described it as a manufactured tourist street resembling the architecture of the Qing Dynasty with shops. I equated this to the Yu Yuan Gardens in Shanghai and thought it would be a great area to satisfy some gifting shopping. What a disappointment. The shops were high end jewelry type stores, it wasn’t a pedestrian friendly street, no sidewalks and there were cars parked in front of the shops (store owners?) making navigation difficult. Also on this street was the Shufengya Yun Opera House. This was a highly recommended place to enjoy the Sichuan style opera, rated entertaining in a tourist setting. The show is put on in the evening and I never could motivate to get out at night.
Mid block there was an exit to the west to Culture Park by a river. A truck was backed up to a river overview with women unloading potted plants in a large number.
At the end of the street to the south there was the Baihuatan Park, by the Jinjiang river, which was also of interest away from the traffic and noise with people dancing/exercising to a large video/music display. A bonsai garden, folks doing calligraphy, interesting landscaping, a kids amusement park and numerous folks out enjoying the day. All around were tall cranes working new construction, but here was some solitude from the city din and congestion. All of the gardens were attractive and showing early flowering buds on the trees.
Again, dusk was approaching and I was done for the day. Train was packed as I headed back to the hotel. Time to start sorting my gear and packing for the trip back to Colorado.
Friday February 24 a long Friday
Up at 4am – Ready to get home. Take some streetlight photos and start to pack for the journey home.
Check out in the lounge
The hostess calls for a cab
I pay for the stay and then we spend some time investigating which terminal I need
Terminal 1 – International
Head downstairs and get a cab as we have the discussion again about terminal one and we are off and into the steady stream of traffic.
Left hotel at 8:08am
Rush hour
Almost to the turn off to the airport highway when the Cab driver gets a call.
Hands me his phone device and I say hello, not realizing it’s a push to talk device.
Not sure what’s up as no mandarin skills as I am listening to someone talking. The party on the other end gives up so I hand the phone back to the driver as I struggle to get what is going on. The driver pulls out a credit card and I finally catch on. I check my wallet and sure enough I have left my card at the hotel. With all the chatter during checkout about the terminal, the return of my card got overlooked.
U turn and we head back uptown.
The doorman gives me the card as we roll through the hotel drive, sort of a “fast food” style pick up, and we are back into rush hour at 8:35.
Traffic is based upon the “chicken” concept as we thread our way towards the airport.
Once we get to the Airport Expressway we speed up then queue for the toll booth.
Drop off at terminal 1 – International
9:05. 120rmb (u turn penalty included)
Metal detector into the terminal
Takes a minute to locate the check in area
Easy ticketing
Long wait at immigration
I followed the signs for the VIP security line and after some scrutiny was allowed through. At check in I got a lounge pass. After some looking around in the duty free shops I found the lounge and with some help got on their internet. It is common in China when you request Free Internet access in a Starbucks or an Airport one of the steps in the process is to send the password to your phone which doesn’t work for me as I don’t generally have phone access. This has happened several times in China and Europe as well.
I contacted home, had a Budweiser and headed for the gate. The lounge had a large food set up, but I knew that I would have more than enough to eat on the plane, so I passed.
Boarding was easy, not a full flight
On board seat 1D
Advertised 12hr 8min flight time
Wheels up 10:58am
11:42 Passing over Xian
37097′ 578mph ground speed
12:38 South of Beijing
35091′ 546mph
Ulan Bator Mongolia
Hohhot
9:52pm
Off the coast of Washington
39000′ 616mph
1hr 10min to go – breakfast
Flight attendant Lydia was very efficient and helpful.
Scheduled Touchdown SFO: 7:02AM PT
Nice morning in the bay area. Sun’s making an appearance. First sun sighting since I left on Saturday. Coming in over Sausalito and the Golden Gate.
Circling
Actual touchdown: 7:12
Waiting for a gate
At the gate: 7:27
The Global Entry kiosk doesn’t recognize my fingerprints, but I show passport to the agent at the exit and all is good.
Get bag and take to recheck then through TSA pre check into domestic terminal.
Denver flight scheduled for gate 82
United Club
Coffee and OJ
I go to the gate early as my laptop is still in Mountain Time
Then United announces a flight delay, so it’s
Back to the lounge.
11:20 finally on the plane seat 2A
Old 757 not upgraded
Wheels up 12:13pm
Observations:
The air, first it’s about the air. I cannot breathe in China. My eyes burn and my lungs ache. I wore a mask for the first time. I have apps to tell me what to do to protect myself. China has so much to see and to learn about, I would like to visit more, but I have to learn when it is safe to travel and where I can go without speeding my death.
Chengdu had the trappings of a modern city of today’s world with its subways, road and bridge infrastructure, airport, cultural attractions such as the museums and high end western brand shopping. The personal space envelope is much smaller in China than in the USA. People do not yield easily during pedestrian encounters and young dudes were cutting lines to get one place in front of me to get on packed trains. For such an old culture it is amazing that the wisdom of the ages has not passed down to some of the current generations. But, to be fair, we can say that about our young society as well. Drivers of automobiles express their “superiority” by ignoring traffic signals, expressive horn blowing and challenges to/ignoring of pedestrians. Public spitting is prevalent, maybe due to the pollution screwing up the breathing function. Not much smiling going on, much preoccupation with phones and fashion statements with the young – very similar characteristics to the Western youth. Other than the air, Chengdu is clean and new building seems to be an ongoing enterprise. There is a visible effort underway to reduce pollution, many vehicles are propane driven and motor scooters are battery powered. Also more bicycle use by the older crowd than in other Chinese cities I have visited. There are hardly any birds in Chengdu, the familiar flocks of pigeons, starlings and crows are scarce in the city. Some bird activity in the Panda Preserve and parks, but otherwise the only glimpses of “wildlife” were in the Koi ponds and some skinny cats. I didn’t locate any of the local markets other than the wholesale markets by the North Train Station. The area across from the Wuhou Temple was promising, however I didn’t get back there. The markets/shops lining the Wide & Narrow Alleys and Jinli Street were interesting, but a bit polished. I overnight in Chengdu on my outbound and inbound legs of my May Nepal trip, but I doubt I will have much time to look around other than in the close proximity of the Renaissance Chengdu. I had good walkabouts everyday, the Panda Park was very interesting and well organized. The metro system is inexpensive, you pay a fixed rate based upon the number of stations you travel, and it got me close to a number of the sights. It was a bonus to have the two new lines operational, however I did much of my pre trip logistical planning based on only the two lines that my internet searches showed operational. It wasn’t difficult to incorporate the new lines and they made access easier. The museums were first rate and were the highlights of the trip after the Panda Research Base.
References:
Jay Geiss - Walkabout 
Great photos and writing!
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