China

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China Destination Unknown
He Looks Hungry!
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
I saw this figure standing outside one of the restaurants that we passed and it really caught my eye. Although he looks very enthusiastic about the place he's advertising for we were in the mood for something other than Chinese food. I think that our lunch at the Dujiangyan Panda Base was enough for one day.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Local Transportation
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
These scooters seem to be the most popular way to get around in China. We've been seeing them everywhere in Chengdu. Strangely, all safety concerns are ignored. Nobody wears a helmet and we've seen some scooters with multiple people riding it. Nobody is strapped in, they just hang on. I guess that the safety laws are a lot more relaxed here.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
KFC
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
We settled on KFC for dinner since that was the first place we came across that we recognized. Ordering our food was difficult because none of the people working there spoke English or Cantonese. Fortunately, the did have picture menus on the counter so we could just point to the foods we wanted. This makes eating in a foreign country very easy but just don't expect it to be easy if you want any changes or substitutions.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Dinner Time
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
The food at KFC was very good and tasted exactly as we expected it to. That's one of the good points of restaurants like this. Being a chain, all of their food is made exactly the same, with the same ingredients. Of course, there are some regional menu items that are different from what we have back home but, for the most part, we know exactly what sort of food we can expect. After that disappointing lunch at the Dujiangyan Panda Base, this is exactly what we needed.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
More Walking
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
Now that we've eaten, we have some energy to walk around and explore Chengdu. We're going to stick to this street though. It's too late to get on the train and see other parts of the city. We wouldn't even know where to go or what we should be seeing.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Tasty Treats
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
We saw this street vendor busy making crepes. He seemed very busy and I thought that crepes would be a great dessert for us but I was very hesitant to eat any foods purchased off the streets here in China. As tempting as these treats looked, I decided to play it safe and pass on them. They sure did look good though.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Stairway to Heaven?
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
There are lots of restaurants around here. Some of them, like this one, look very stylish and fancy. I'm surprised that we're not seeing that many people going in or out of them, or even walking around on the streets. Where is everyone?Read more
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China Destination Unknown
More Street Fare
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
Here's another place selling food outside but this place looks more permanent than the simple stall we saw before. It looks more fancy, too. If I liked what they were serving I might be inclined to try this place despite my misgivings about street foods.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Wowo
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
Wowo seems to be one of the the local versions of a 7-11. I've seen a few different chains of stores like this as we were being driven around but this is the first one that we are walking past. Let's go inside and see what kinds of snacks we can get. I could use some water anyway.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Snacks
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
After looking around at what was available in Wowo, I discovered that I really like Chinese snack foods. Many of these I've seen before, since Kathy does a lot of her shopping at the Asian grocery stores in New York, but a lot of it was new to me. I want to try almost everything! Those Lays chips were fantastic! They were so thick and flavorful. I wish the potato chips in the US were like this.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Chocolates
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
Most of the chocolates are exactly the same as what we have back home. The packaging is slightly different but the prices are almost exactly the same as what we would pay back home. I'm surprised because I was expecting a lot of different kinds of chocolate, kind of like how a lot of their chips are different.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Heading Back
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
Having gotten our snacks and drinks, we're ready to head back to the hotel. Everything we've done today, along with the long time we've been traveling, is starting to catch up with us. We want to go to our room, relax a bit, and then sleep.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Quiet Night
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
As we got closer to the hotel, I thought that this might be more of a business area of Chengdu than the center of the city. We're seeing less people and more of what looks like offices.
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China Destination Unknown
Bicycles
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
When I was a kid, I remember learning in social studies class that most people in China traveled by bicycle and that we should do it too because it's more healthy and better for the environment. I don't know how true that is anymore. These are the first bikes that I've seen since we've been here and they seem to be part of a municipal program, sort of like the Citibikes we have back home.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Falling Behind
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
Once again, I'm lagging behind to take pictures. I know that Kathy is tired and just wants to get back to our hotel room but I want to see, and remember, everything that I can. I don't know when, or if, we'll be back so I want to see, and appreciate, as much as I can.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Quiet Streets
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
We're almost back to the hotel and, looking back, I'd say that this definitely looks more like a business district than the main entertainment area. That would explain why this area is so quiet and empty now, since the business day is over. I'm guessing that all those restaurants we saw do a lot of business during the lunch hours. It would be nice to go back and see the lunch crowds but, unfortunately, we'll have already left Chengdu by that time.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Back at the Hotel
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
We're finally back at our hotel, the Holiday Inn Oriental. It felt like we did a lot of walking but it acts wasn't that far. It's been a very busy and exhausting day and I think that it's catching up with us. Right now, all we want to do is sleep.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Good Night, Chengdu!
September 25, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F
Even though it was still early, according to the local time, we decided to go to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be another day of traveling so we'd better get plenty of rest now. We're going to fly back to Beijing to start our group tour which should be lots of fun. Our first full day in China is coming to a close and it was so much better than we ever expected. I hope that tomorrow will be just as wonderful. Good night, Chengdu!Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Good Morning!
September 26, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
Kathy and I both slept very well and we're now ready for day two of our vacation. After a peek out the window, I see that it looks like we're going to have great weather today. That should make our flight to Beijing very easy. I don't really want to leave Chengdu just yet but I'm so eager to see more of China. I want us to experience as much as we can.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Don't Fall
September 26, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
This is just a design on the hotel's carpet, obviously a large flower, but Kathy and I kept seeing this as some wires that were laying on the floor and we kept stepping over it. At first, I thought that it was just me but, as I saw her getting ready, I noticed that she was doing it too. It's funny how both of us saw the same thing in this rug pattern and constantly walked around it or stepped over it so we wouldn't trip. Even though I know it's just a carpet, it still looks like loose wiring to me!Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Breakfast Buffet
September 26, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
Our hotel offered a free breakfast buffet which made things a bit easier for us. Not only are we saving money, we're also spared from wandering around trying to find a place to eat. This gives extra time to enjoy a nice relaxing meal rather than rushing around looking for a restaurant that serves breakfast.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Enjoying Breakfast
September 26, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
Although the buffet menu looks extensive, there was very little that I could actually eat. Most of the foods didn't look or taste the way it's supposed to. Kathy had plenty of choices but she admitted that almost none of it was what she would consider as breakfast foods. I ended up having just buttered toast. The butter was very good and the bread was fine also. I tried to have cereal but the milk was warm. I don't know if it was just left out all morning or it the people here prefer drinking it like that. Either way, I didn't want it.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
One Last Look
September 26, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
After finishing breakfast, Kathy settled our bill and had the hotel arrange for a taxi to take us to the airport. While she was doing this, I went back to the room to get our bags and take one last look around to make sure we didn't forget anything. After one last peek out the window, I was ready to go. I hope that we make it back here someday. This was a great hotel!Read more
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China Destination Unknown
To the Airport, Please!
September 26, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
With almost no wait at all, the hotel got us a taxi and we were on our way to the Chengdu airport. The driver didn't speak any English, or Cantonese, but the hotel told him where we wanted to go and what gate he should drop us off at. I hope that we don't hit much traffic on the way there. We have plenty of time to get together but I just like being early.Read more
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China Destination Unknown
Bye, Chengdu!
September 26, 2018 in China ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
Our cab driver just dropped us off at the airport. We're leaving Chengdu and headed to Beijing where we'll start our tour of China. The tour group company will be having a car come to meet us and take us to our hotel. I hope that this pick up is an improvement over what happened when we arrived in Chengdu!Read more
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