Day One - Chengdu

The four hour and thirty-five minute flight arrived at Cheng Du airport at 3:05pm in the afternoon. Customs was surprisingly easy and I was waiting for my luggage by 3:15pm. By 3:30pm, I was wheeling my luggage out of the main gates. What a breeze!

Immediately outside, I was welcome by a big fat sign with four familiar letters printed in bold on a placard - QUEK. Ok. There was NO WAY I would have missed it. I walked up to the holder, who was very busy on the phone. She greeted me and exclaimed in relief that I was zhong guo ren (Chinese man) because I spoke in mandarin to her. She quickly corrected herself and said she was glad she could converse with me in mandarin. I would have told her that yes, my Grandfather came from China, if not for that fact that she needed to quickly introduce me to the driver. She had to run and meet another passenger who was arriving. And so I followed the driver across two traffic lanes and to his passenger carrier.

Along the forty minute drive (I swear it was lesser) along a highway, I note with interest the vastness of Chengdu. Everywhere, there was developments upon developments - mostly condominiums and office blocks interspersed with existing shopping blocks and older shop houses. I recall back on the plane as I was looking out of the window, I saw huge areas that looked like citadels. It's only when passing at close range that I realise how massive these projects were. And most of them are still being built. The waking of a sleeping dragon?

On arrival at Sam's Guesthouse (130 Shanxijie, Chengdu), I was shown my room, which interestingly, was found inside a large teahouse. As I walked through the doors of the restaurant, I saw a room with bay windows wide opened and in the room, four ladies were playing mahjong! The next hallway was lined with comfortable chairs and coffee tables and everyone seemed to be having a good time and enjoying their tea - the traditional chinese way. There was a pond in the middle of the establishment and a small concrete bridge amidst beautiful landscaping which brought me to "Meeting Room 4" which is not a meeting room at all but a corridor with about eight doors. I entered the door marked "2003". They use a key card system, mind you.

The room may be simple but it's very comfortable, clean and complete. Apart from a bed (firm would be the word I would use to describe it), there was an attached bathroom, a respectable 20" TV, an old fashioned bedside table with a radio set into it, an arm chair and a dresser. Not bad at all, considering they charge only 100yuan a night for this single-bed unit (about SGD20). Not wanting to miss out on the sights, I took to the streets by 5pm

Rambling along, I stumbled upon the Renming Garden (People's Garden). I was amazed by the variety of activities one can find in this place!

The garden itself cannot be compared to the famous landscaping of Suzhou Gardens - but the hive of activities more than make up for it. There were people sitting around tables with a porcelain cup of tea each, and most were either playing card games or chess. Several people were sat with their heads tilted to the side, with an attendant welding a long metal rod and stiking it periodically. This is ear waxing - Chengdu style. Next to the al fresco teahouse, couples or families were paddling in a lake, or up and down little streams, passing below arched bridges or stopping to collect their orders from a food hawker. Meanwhile, deep in the heart of the garden, below mature willow trees, larger crowds gather to listen to random ensemble of musicians with a singer belting out allegedly popular tunes through portable sound systems. In fact, they are everywhere! I remember an old man obviously singing out of tune to a song I remember from the Monkey God series (Journey to the West which aired in Singapore eons ago) but no one seems to mind. Idol rejects should come here. This is a haven made for them.

Walking out of the wooded part and into a courtyard, I note that at one corner, a woman was singing her heart out while standing in front of a blue screen. On closer look, I realised she was doing a live recording and making her own MTV - her image being super-imposed on beautiful scenary. There was even a queue for this service - which allegedly cost 100yuan. Mum should be here.

The circular court yard is framed by pavillions and shades, and again, a host of activities make the place come alive. People where roller blading, dancing (with no music), playing badminton (they drew their own lines), practising tennis strokes with a ball that is attached to an elastic rope anchored to a heavy bag at their feet, playing drums, and flying kites. Everyone seems to be in their own world, yet not minding that they were sharing the same space as someone else doing a totally different activity. How amazing!

I realised how different and relaxed the Chinese here were compared to those I met in Beijing and Shanghai. They didn't seem to mind doing exactly as they pleased wherever they pleased - I'm picturing people back home taking to the park and doing their karaoke outdoors next to people skateboarding! That would be a sight!

Strolling along, I couldn't resist the smell of a Szechuan BBQ stick and so I paid 5yuan for one huge satay. It was tingly spicy and salty - very tasty! If not for the fact that I should really watch what I eat for I'll be taking to the mountains soon, I would have gone for seconds. Or thirds. Feeling guilty, I bought myself a cup of freshly squeezed sugar cane juice - how different it taste. The juice is very sweet and almost thick. Most refreshing.

Having whet my appetite, I made my way out of the gardens, still musing over the outdoor karaoke sessions and mixed hotpot of activities. Dinner was a nice big bowl of szechuan beef noodles (with very small and LITTLE beef cubes) at a shop just outside the garden. I made my way back to the room, had a nice hot shower and now I'm out at Sam's Tour shop (which is just outside the teahouse which is really a guesthouse???) and as I'm typing this entry, my stomach is growling again from the whiffs of szechuan flavours floating across from the other side of the street. Think I'll take a walk...

Oh, before i go, Alvin - you are right! They seem to have blocked Blogspot sites! Not only can I not see journeytosource.blogspot.com, I can't see journeytosource2.blogspot.com too! Oh well, I'll just have to update my blog blindly via email and hope it turns out right. Someone please email me and tell me what this entry looks like?