Checking Out Chengdu

After a long day of travel, and a night of cough-interrupted sleep, it was a good feeling to wake up in a modern city like Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. We woke early and left the Jiulong Hotel, at 90 Babao Street, to get to the Panda breeding center while the bears were active, before they decided to relax in the shade for the day. On the ride to the Panda center the city seemed busy. Many sharply dressed Chengdu urbanites were fighting the traffic on their way to work. I was surprised to see many girls wearing long dresses buzzing along on scooters and motorcycles.View MapThe Center is home to dozens of Pandas, and expects to oversee six or seven births this year. Photographing the babies was prohibited for some reason. A lake within the complex was the home of hundreds of photogenic Koi carp. An informative film was presented in the "Panda Tea House," telling the story of the Center while we had coffee and juice, and the Panda museum exhibited Panda bones and graphics explaining their endangered status. The gift shop was filled with Panda slippers, neckties, and even fuzzy panda-claw gloves.Walking through the leafy campus in the not-too-hot morning air was refreshing after yesterday's grueling transit. After visiting the Pandas, we stopped for lunch and ordered the regional specialty, a "hot pot."The "hot pot" consisted of a metal pot filled with chiles and vegetables, lit by a flame under the table. Some kinds of meat and tofu and other vegetables are held in the pot with chopsticks until they are cooked, soaking up the spicy flavor. It was an appetizing meal, but I didn't find it any hotter than typical Mexican food.In the afternoon we walked to People's Park, where the citizens of Chengdu were engaged in all kinds of recreational activities. Singing, dancing, and something that looked like exercise, were all taking place. Near the park, we walked by a statue of Chairman Mao, and my Australian travel-mate pointed out how angry Mao would be to see the haughty Cartier store that was just a block away from his giant statue.Chengdu is close to where the devastating earthquake struck last year, but the buildings in the city center were left unharmed, most of the damage was in the outlying towns. The downtown architecture was modern and interesting, but the city's subway system is under construction, expected to begin operating in 2010.In the evening we found another "hot pot" place, this one just a few little tables on a sidewalk. I was still feeling unwell and skipped the food, but sat and enjoyed the atmosphere. Afterwards I found a Western-style supermarket where I walked around looking for a thermometer, but ended up with the perfect medicine: Halls cough drops, Snickers, and some "milk tea."Our 30 hours stay in Chengdu is already coming to an end. We are leaving at 5 a.m. tomorrow morning for a flight to Shanghai.