Yuanjiagang

Chongqing means double happiness, population 33 million people. Covers 82,000km. City centre alone has 10 million people. 80,000 buildings in this city are over 33 floors tall. Weather is humid and hazy because it is surrounded by mountains. Temperature in the summer is regularly 38 - 40 C. They sell 2,000 cars every day. The subway is over 90 m underground and there is only one subway line. However there is a very efficient monorail system.

The oldest panda they have found was 38. They do not reproduce u til they are 5 years old. If they are sent to zoos abroad and have babies, they must be returned to China when they are two years old.

The zoo covers 48 hectares. The pandas eat all day long. I think the red pandas are cuter. Also saw hippos and rhinos and various monkeys.

People along the Yangtze eat more noodles as wheat is more prevalent than rice. People in the mountains eat more potatoes.

The city has 25 bridges and they are building 10 more at the moment.

Mortgage interest is 5% and an apartment costs 1.5 million yuan (5 yuan per Cdn $)

Lunch at a Sichuan restaurant as Chongqing used to be part of Sichuan province.

Another hour bus ride to the airport where we arrived at 1:15 for our 3:40 flight. We are able to go through a group check in so that gives us seats together if we wish. They don’t air condition the airports as for them it isn’t hot yet. We are quite warm as for us 31C is pretty darn hot.

The fight was to have left at 3:40, but didn’t until 4:30. Arrived in Xi’an at 5:30 but are still sitting in the plane. Their rules are very strict but it seems no one obeys them. Snack provided was dried peas and fruit leather. Thank goodness they handed out whole bottles of water as we had been rather thirsty after lunch. The Pringles Vic bought smell like lard and the flavour slightly sweet though they are labeled ‘barbecue’.

Luggage retrieval is wonderful. By the time we arrived at the terminal, our luggage was on the carousel. Our local guide Mary met us and led us to the Golden Dragon bus.

Xi’an is a city of 10 million people. It is the city of noodles or food made with wheat, people don’t really like rice here, also not good place to grow rice.

King Yo 11 centuries ago began the use of chopsticks by using his wife’s hair sticks to eat. Too hungry to wait for the food to cool down.

Xi’an is the beginning of Silk Road.

47 universities in this city. Holiday Inn has their reception area on the 5th floor as well as the breakfast area.Read more