Yanguilai Business Hotel Chengdu

... radio soap or whatever but it was peppered with the most excruciatingly screeching singing, and on the top bunk of three, at the end of the compartment, my head was horribly close to the speaker... my earplugs were no match for this onslaught so I recruited 'Four Men and a Dog' on my Ipod, at a higher decibel level than normal, and tried to pretend it was not really happening!


And so I arrived in Chengdu. And stepped out ...

... bottom we definately got a sense of perspective when we stood next to his feet. At 8.5m long they were very big and each of his toe nails was at least the size of a human. After a hot, sticky climb back up the other side of the cliff we headed into Leshan to get something to eat. We had some abortive tries to catch a taxi, a tuk tuk and to finally to eat in a restaurant before deciding to head into town. JD and Marisa are big fans of street food - we have been less ...

... ponds with water lilies. It was one of the most peaceful places I have ever visited. Hard to believe, this man lived in the 8th century.

When we met at the end of the visit, Dr. Wang informed me that we had an interview with a school for the exchange program in about 1 hour. One the way home (on the bus), we stopped so that Ryan, Jillian, Michael (our Virginia Tech person who speaks Mandarin), and I got into a cab ...

... and once she found out I was an American, she went running off to find her friend who apparently wanted to speak to an American. A few minutes later she came back with her friend, who looked rather embarrassed, and we talked for maybe ten minutes or so about studying and going to America for med school. They have final exams on Monday, so they’ve been out in the lobby studying like crazy. I’m not sure why they prefer the ...

... on the head (which he seemed to enjoy) and got a little told off for doing so with my ungloved hand..totally worth it! Whats the point of getting that close to a panda if you have no idea what it feels like?! (For those of you who are wondering - damp, and corse! Not quite as fluffy as you would automatically-but-contrarily-to-common- sense think!) SO COOL! Check out my BILLION pictures!! Im off to the Opera tonight!

... At a meeting of the Human Rights Subcommittee of the US Congress held in September 1987, the Dalai Lama put forward a "five-point proposal" regarding the so-called status of Tibet. He continued to advocate "Tibetan Independence," and instigate and plot a number of riots in Lhasa. In June 1988, the Dalai Lama raised a so-called "Strasbourg proposal" for the solution of the Tibet issue. On the premise that Tibet "had always been" an independent state, the ...

... the world's 1500 Giant Pandas, 300 in captivity. It's a great place as you are pretty close to the pandas. You can get even closer, touching, by paying a 1000 yuan "donation". How can it be a donation if the amount is fixed? We booked a second tour to see the Shechaun Opera that night and returned to our hotel for a nap. Apparently our bamboo didn't have enough nutrition in it either. The Opera isn't opera. At least in the sense that we ...

... three guys and ended up losing...I think. The main part of this middle act was for beautiful women to do that dance where they wear really long sleeves and spin them around to make pretties. It was lovely, and I think I would enjoy learning this particular talent. Then a messenger came in and the fight I just mentioned occurred. And then... The MC came out and introduced the foot juggler. At first I thought this was just a break in the greater story of ...

... mostly incomprehensible and unpleasantly high pitched wailing) than a variety performance incorporating many traditional Chinese, and specifically Sichuanese, talents. I could quite happily marry one of the foot juggling girls, but the face-changing/fire breathing show was probably the most impressive performance, even if I do know how they do it. Not that I would reveal their secrets ;) I also did the one thing everyone (apart from Cat) does in Chengdu - go to see ...

... the bus station 'Tunnel Man' decided to change the disk and we laughed so much and when he finally understood why we were laughing he joined in. On the way to the hostel we dropped in at Daves & Pauls Oasis for dinner. This time I had the Chicken Salad and it was awesome! We then headed up the road for a 15 Yuan body massage for around 45 minutes. ****, ****, ****...a ...