We truck ourselves and all our stuff off our 25 hour night train and onto the packed Chengdu metro. It becomes clear then - and throughout our stay in Chengdu and Xi'an - that people here have never seen so many westerners, or a ginger in their lives.
It's funny to notice the differences. They see a blonde and go "wow, amazing," but they see a ginger and go "what the fuck is that?!" It's clear they just don't understand. They're trying to work out whether I'm like the Koreans and have dyed my hair a crazy colour, or if it's real, and if it is real then 'oh my god that's unbelievable.'
So while you sort of get used to being a circus act, walking into a waiting room in Chengdu station and having around 600 people turn and stare, is something you find bizzarre to say the least.
Chengdu as a city isn't a great wonder to behold. It's another concrete jungle with apartment blocks being thrown up left right and centre, but we are only here for two nights before moving on again and we thoroughly enjoy our time.
Our first night we experience Sichuan Hot Pot. Where the oil (already seasoned and spiced) is brought to the table and put on the gas to cook. The outer ring is spicy while the inside isn't, and you can choose which to cook your food in. Our guide orders around 8 different things and they are brought, already sliced, and we slide them into our desired oil. The off putting thing about this meal is the crazy amount of oil. Not only is it cooked in it, you also have sesame oil in your own bowl to take the spice out of your food before you eat it. Let's just say it was a messy experience and I think the whole group agreed that it wasn't the best meal we'd ever had. But hey, it was something new!
Day 2. Where do I even begin to describe day 2 in Chengdu? The city is famous for a few things, but the most obvious, and the most beloved is that amazing black and white bear we as people just can't seem to get enough of. It was Panda time! One of the most exciting activities on the tour, I can safely say I probably annoyed my group by the sheer amount of times I said "PANDA, PANDA," in an excited chant on our way to the Panda Park.
The Chengdu Panda Breeding Centre has researched the Giant Panda for over 30 years and thinks it's found the most sustainable way to save one of the oldest species on the planet. Did you know the average species life time is 5 million years, and that the Giant Panda is already at 8 million?
They are cared for, nurtured, watched closely, paired with hopeful mates, and in times when that isn't successful, artificially inseminated. The park now has just under 100 pandas living in it's expansive grounds from 2 weeks old to 20 years old.
I want one.
No, seriously. Kids ask their parents for ponies all the time. I want a panda. They're so cute!! However, another fun fact, they aren't soft and cuddly like you would expect. Panda fur is actually quite coarse. Bit of a disappointment, but still want one. And yes, while they didn't do anything other than eat bamboo at a rate you wouldn't believe, and sleep hanging from a tree, we all still had a wonderful day!
In the afternoon of panda day, half of our group took a trip to Leshan, an ancient city over two hours drive from Chengdu. Leshan's claim to fame is that it has the largest Buddha in the world, carved into the rock face overlooking the river. Another sight to behold. The pictures don't do this 23-story structure justice. It's almost like the two kings in Lord of the Rings if you can excuse me geeking out for a moment.
Our bus drops us off on the road at the head of the Buddha and our party descends single file down a staircase carved from the rock. It's slow going, but it gives you the best view of the Buddha itself. The bottom is literally selfie central but among all us tourists (mostly Chinese) there are two dozen Tibetan monks going through their praying ritual on their knees between the giant stone feet of the 1200 year old Buddha.
The only thing about descending 47 flights of stairs is that you have to climb back up!
We party the night away in the Jellyfish nightclub in Chengdu and pay for it the next day. So our final day is relaxed and hangover ridden. I drew the short straw and am sick all day, not able to keep anything down including water, so I spend most of my day lying on the sofa in my hostel while my group lunched and walked around the city centre.
At 9pm we board another night train - only 15 hours this time - and speed off North West again. Next destination Xi'an!
A more historic city, we don't see much of Xi'an only taking part in a 13km bike ride around the Ming Dynasty city walls. The most complete ancient city walls in China. We are based here for a sole reason - The Terracotta Warriors (below.)
The next day we try our hand at a public coach and spend 6 hours driving into the countryside towards Dengfeng, the home of the Shaolin temple and the ancient home of Kung Fu.
We are treated to a show and Kung Fu lesson at a local school, where our money goes directly to their studies and training. The kids are aged between 7 and 16, and are more talented than you would believe. Hand stands on two fingers, breaking cement blocks with one hand, and much more. Despite being bitten alive by mosquitos (I added 8 more fresh bites to my collection) we had a great night in the rural countryside. The next day we go to Shaolin Temple, trek up to Dharma Cave (reminds you of something out of Lost) and watch a professional Kung Fu show, even better than the day before.
Despite an exhausting day we head to Zhengzhou, 2 hours from Shaolin, and board our third night train. The hardest one so far. We board at 10.15pm and disembark in Beijing at 6.10am. Barely half the group have had any sleep and we arrived bleary eyed at our hostel so early we can't check in.
2 years later I am back in Beijing, the beating heart of this country, and all I can think about is crawling into my bed later.
With some of my group at the Sichuan Hot Pot dinner. Much spice, so much oil and plenty of free watery orange juice for everyone!
One of our group thought we were having a group photo taken beside some giant blobs. It wasn't until we were walking away that she realised they were pandas.
My absolute favourite experience so far. I WANT ONE.
These little guys are around 1/2 months old. I WANT ONE.
The biggest Buddha in the world at over 70 metres, carved out of the rock face on the river at Yeshan.
The night before the day I was sick as a dog. Definitely wasn't self inflicted. Definitely wasn't more than a bottle of vodka involved. Team.
The first emperor of all of China, the Qin Dynasty (pronounced 'Chin' - hence China) unified six countries to create this one big one. He started building his tomb at the age of 13, the biggest in the world at 52 square kilometres and 200 metres deep. He decided he needed 7000+ terracotta warriors to protect him in the afterlife. His body has never been exhumed as legend says his body is surrounded by rivers of mercury. Good ruse if it's a lie. 2000 years ago the guy was responsible for the creation of the country we know as China, and for building 5-lane highways lined with trees that are still in use today. 2000 years ago! Take that Romans!
The kids at this school are either orphans or come from some of the poorest families in the region. Poverty here is more obvious than anywhere we have previously been, but statistically 500 million people in China have lifted themselves out of dire poverty since 2006. 9 years has changed this country irrevocably. This school relies solely on donations, so pictures and videos of westerners are welcomed to make them seem more legitimate. 2 of the students graduate in June, when 1 wants to join the army, and 1 is heading to the movies.
On our final day we visit Shaolin Temple, and hike up one of the neighbouring mountains to Dharma Cave where Dharma himself meditated for 9 years. The temple was originally Taoist until the Indian monk changed it to Buddhism. The temple has been destroyed more than 15 times in it's past, but still stands today. This statue is atop the mountain that took us around 45 minutes to climb.
This backpacker is exhausted, so I'm skipping this morning's activity - The Temple of Heaven (as I've already done it) - to find a sofa to curl up on until I can check into my room.
S x
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