Tea Time for the Soul
Never heard of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan and one of the largest cities in China? As China opens itself up to the world, more people will. Boasting tea gardens, temples and some of the hottest food in the country, it is a city that is ready to compete with the more well-known destinations of Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
I'm getting quite behind in my travel writing, so for the sake of time, I'm going to condense my Chengdu experience a bit. Most days I spent wandering the monasteries, such as Wenshu or Wuhou. My first day, I went to Qingyang Temple and had my first taste of a Chinese tea garden. A popular pasttime in Chengdu, tea gardens are all over the many city parks. Young and old alike sit around tables with their tea, loose leaves in a tall glass. Metal thermoses that can keep water hot for days sit by their feet, always ready to reinfuse the fresh leaves for another glass. The sounds of chatter and mah johng tiles combine with the rustle of windblown leaves of the trees that droop above, the gurgling of the waters that work their way among the tables and walking trails and the calling of birds above.
As I clumsily figured out how to acquire my own glass of tea and hesitantly sat down in a surprisingly comfortable bamboo chair, I notice the men of whom I'd heard that walk around offering an ear-cleaning via their long pieces of metal. I politely refused, to the amusement of two girls next to me. Once again the star, they invited me over and we 'talked' a bit and I now had some friends in Chengdu.
The following day I headed up to the local panda research center. Living in Washington, I'd seen pandas before, but it was still nice to escape the city and walk among the bamboo-laden open pens, watching the lethargic black and white pandas lazily return my stares. Moving on, I visited the more active red pandas, which look like a mix between red racoons and ferrets. They're quite amusing but they've been conditioned to beg for food from the Chinese tourists, who are too happy to oblige.
That night, I met up with my friends from the tea garden. They had never had pizza before and wanted me to take them to Pizza Hut. Who goes halfway around the world for Pizza Hut? Well, this night I did. Nicer than any Pizza Hut I had ever been in back home, it was quite the meal, especially when I had to demonstrate to both of them how to use a knife and fork.
The next couple of days were more of the same, wandering parks, temples and tea gardens, amusing kids and old people alike. Nights were spent at the local discos, where I was usually the only non-Chinese person there, which made it all the more fun. I wasn't allowed to sit in a corner; I was all but forced to go out and drink and dance with the other clubbers. Fine with me.
All for now -- I'll have to wrap up the last few days later as I'm now about to head off on a 3-day trek at 8,000ft in northwest Yunnan along one of the world's most spectacular gorges. It will be so nice to escape the crowds for once and immerse myself in the mountain scenery in the foothills of the Himalayas.
I'm getting quite behind in my travel writing, so for the sake of time, I'm going to condense my Chengdu experience a bit. Most days I spent wandering the monasteries, such as Wenshu or Wuhou. My first day, I went to Qingyang Temple and had my first taste of a Chinese tea garden. A popular pasttime in Chengdu, tea gardens are all over the many city parks. Young and old alike sit around tables with their tea, loose leaves in a tall glass. Metal thermoses that can keep water hot for days sit by their feet, always ready to reinfuse the fresh leaves for another glass. The sounds of chatter and mah johng tiles combine with the rustle of windblown leaves of the trees that droop above, the gurgling of the waters that work their way among the tables and walking trails and the calling of birds above.
As I clumsily figured out how to acquire my own glass of tea and hesitantly sat down in a surprisingly comfortable bamboo chair, I notice the men of whom I'd heard that walk around offering an ear-cleaning via their long pieces of metal. I politely refused, to the amusement of two girls next to me. Once again the star, they invited me over and we 'talked' a bit and I now had some friends in Chengdu.
The following day I headed up to the local panda research center. Living in Washington, I'd seen pandas before, but it was still nice to escape the city and walk among the bamboo-laden open pens, watching the lethargic black and white pandas lazily return my stares. Moving on, I visited the more active red pandas, which look like a mix between red racoons and ferrets. They're quite amusing but they've been conditioned to beg for food from the Chinese tourists, who are too happy to oblige.
That night, I met up with my friends from the tea garden. They had never had pizza before and wanted me to take them to Pizza Hut. Who goes halfway around the world for Pizza Hut? Well, this night I did. Nicer than any Pizza Hut I had ever been in back home, it was quite the meal, especially when I had to demonstrate to both of them how to use a knife and fork.
The next couple of days were more of the same, wandering parks, temples and tea gardens, amusing kids and old people alike. Nights were spent at the local discos, where I was usually the only non-Chinese person there, which made it all the more fun. I wasn't allowed to sit in a corner; I was all but forced to go out and drink and dance with the other clubbers. Fine with me.
All for now -- I'll have to wrap up the last few days later as I'm now about to head off on a 3-day trek at 8,000ft in northwest Yunnan along one of the world's most spectacular gorges. It will be so nice to escape the crowds for once and immerse myself in the mountain scenery in the foothills of the Himalayas.
posted by Unknown at 11:20 AM
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