Find myself in China and unable to update what you're reading. That's right, the expression cops are out in force and I'm prohibited from accessing this website. So, my sister in Italy has been summoned to be a proxy for me. I'm sending her the info and she is posting it. So in a way, this is even more dynamic given all the miles that my ramblings are traveling. Grazie Mille Caridad!
The last couple of days in Vietnam were a mix of the same and some pleasant surprises. After eating the first thing on this trip that my stomach didn't appreciate none-too-much (a bowl of beef pho...me thinks the beef and a refrigerator never met along the way to my stomach), I ate really well at the same restaurant. I was told to go there by someone at the hotel and it was so good, I ended up going for both lunch and dinner there. The menu was extensive and the quality of the food was outstanding. I'm not all that used to drinking my beer with ice, but it's either that or enjoy it like the Brits do. The last day hopped on the back of a motorbike and got a better sense of Hanoi, not just the old quarter where the hotel was. Again, just a crazy town in so many ways. My last night was spent huddled under the awning of a a storefront avoiding the pouring rain with a bunch of locals and tourists and enjoying my last few bia hois.
The next day I got up and went out to the airport to await my immigration fate. I decided that loading my passport with a wad of dong in anticipation of my being punished for the expired visa was not a good tactic. I figured I'd just play dumb and pretend that I didn't know about it. Good call. The guy took a little longer than usual to surmise the situation, but in the end, without even uttering an unitelligible syllable, he stamped me right out of Vietnam and that was it. All that stress for nothing. A couple of hours later I was in China on a layover at (yet another) stunning airport in Guangzhou. It was huge! I deplaned at gate 121 and walked into a gorgeous facility. The entire downstairs was a nothing but restaurants and shops. I flew China Southern for both legs of the trip here and was very pleased by the service. For example, I was not charged for having the audacity to you know, pack a suitcase and was offered a meal on both flights for free. Staggering, I know. On the second flight, I was the only western face on the aircraft, but all the announcements were done in English as well, so I kind of felt like it was all for me.
So, China! Chengdu is a huge city of over 10 million. There are new buildings going up everywhere and this is the food capital of the country, arguably, of course. It is the capital of the Sichuan region which is known for some of the spiciest food on the planet. I have to say that I almost welcome the chaotic traffic here compared to in Vietnam, perverse as that may sound. It's simple: Here the overwhelming majority of traffic is cars and there isn't the constant din of horns blaring every second of the commute. It's not exactly relaxing, but a very nice change of pace. Spent the morning today walking quite a bit and taking in some very impressive temples. At one, there were hordes and hordes of tourists, most of which looked nothing like me! In fact, I counted more planes taking off from the nearby airport than any of my peeps! In front of a particularly picturesque temple, a dad tried to get his (I'm guessing) 5 or 6-year-old kid to pose with me for a picture, but the kid would have none of it. It was very funny. He kept looking at me out of the corner of his eye, but couldn't get himself to work up the courage to get too close. Good stuff. Amazingly, surrounding the temples is a series of well-manicured streets with shops and food that is like a cross between Universal Studio's Citywalk and Downtown Disney. I almost choked on my green tea as I turned a corner and bumped into a Dairy Queen. Who would've thunk you could get a Blizzard in a place where it's almost impossible to find someone who speaks English? Gotta love corporate America, boy! USA! USA! USA!
Oh and a weather update...it is NICE here. It is normally supposed to be infernally hot, but it has been raining lately and even though it hasn't rained since I've been here, it has been blissfully very mild! Just ending on a positive note!
Haven't put my digestive system through the challenge of the fiery food yet, but what I have eaten has been (not surprisingly) very good. Things are not as cheap here as in Vietnam, which is not to say they are expensive, but I definitely got spoiled over the past two weeks. Staying at a funky youth hostel. I know, I know. I am not the eldest tourist there, however! It's an old factory building that was rennovated by some artists. They brought in unfinished wood, metal and along with industrial cement and some cool artwork, it's a very unique place. It's along the lines of what I want to do in my retirement in Mexico, maybe. Tomorrow, it's off to see the pandas! I normally wouldn't be fawning over the bears, but apparently, this is a must-do thing whilst here. And come to think of it, I don't think I've actually ever seen one in person so me and Ling Ling have a date!
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