Chengdu

"Travel. Make memories. Have adventures. Because I guarantee that when you're on your death bed you won't think about that flashy care you bought, or the twenty pairs of designer shoes you owned. But you will think about that time you got lost in your favorite city. The nights spent falling in love under the stars and all the beautiful people you met along the way. You'll think of the moments that made you feel truly alive. And at the very end, those memories will be the only valuable possessions you own."

We came back to Beijing a couple days early so we could go to Chengdu. This is a must-see in China because of the Giant Pandas and long history. It is located in Southern China has very unique food and the best hot pot restaurants in China. Chengdu is known for it's relaxed pace of life. It has some of the most beautiful parks I have seen with so many trees and bamboo.

I am so thankful that I got used to China before bringing all 3 kids here. It is absolutely insane trying to get in taxis, trains, planes, bathrooms, stores, and hotels with 3 kids in tow. I have checklists in my mind all the time. Passports? Phones? Tickets? Where is Carly? Do you have your bag? Where is your stuffed animal? Did Connor comb his hair and put deodorant on? OMG! There is so much to remember! Not to mention, we were all experiencing jet lag after flying into a 14 hour time difference. Camilla said to me, "Mom, Every time we come back to the hotel I fall asleep right away. I don't think I have ever been so tired!"

The train ride to Chengdu takes 7 hours and 45 minutes. It cost me about $200 per round trip ticket. We traveled on a bullet train which goes about 190 miles per hour. I don't mind being on a train that long because there is plenty of room and you can get up and walk around. On the way to Chengdu, a little boy came up to Connor and said, "You shouldn't play on your phone that long. It will hurt your eyes!" I thought it was so funny! But, then the boy got annoying really fast. He kept talking to Connor and wouldn't go back to his seat. He actually started taking gum and things from the kids and leaned on their seat. At some point, I said to the boy, "You need to go back to your seat." He didn't listen and Connor actually got up and walked up and down the train to get away from the boy. I kept wondering why his mother didn't come up and tell him to sit down. But, then, at some point, she came and started recording him talking to Americans. She obviously didn't know how rude her son was being.

The first place that we went was People's Park. It is the biggest park in the main city. There was a plum garden, a begonia garden, and a bonsai garden. We drank a cup of tea at the teahouse on the lakeside. We saw dances and many people getting their ears cleaned. I bought the kids maple syrup suckers.

Our hotel was very nice and had 2 ajoining rooms on the 17^thfloor. It only cost me about $45/night and included a nice buffet breakfast each morning. On our fist morning, we went to The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. It is famous for the protection and breeding of endangered wild animals that are unique to China. It simulates the natural habitat of the giant pandas, and has lakes, streams, bamboo forests, and lawns. We had a close-up observation of the panda's living conditions. The is also a, "Panda Villa", which is a restricted area for the pandas to rest. The highlight for me to see was the pandas sleeping way up high in the trees. They curl their bodies around the tree and sleep. I kept thinking they might move and fall off. We also saw a brand new newborn panda.

When we went to Wide and Narrow alley, we saw the Sichuan Opera while drinking tea and eating sunflower seeds. The opera is famous for changing face. They change their face with masks and you can't even see the masks come off. They also had puppets, magic hand shadows, and other cool performances. Many residences in this area were built in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. The alleys and architectures are all well preserved. Each alley represents a living style of Chengdu: Kuan Alley represents a leisurely life. In the Kuan Alley, we went to an exhibition house to see how a normal family in the Republican period lived their daily life. We saw the kitchen, the study, the living room, and the bridal chamber. Zhai Alley stands for a slow life. Zhai Alley is the storehouse of Chengdu. It represents the courtyard culture. The courtyard culture is a kind of elite culture. There is a garden in a house, a courtyard in the garden, trees in the courtyard, heaven in the trees, and a moon in heaven. This is where the girls got their hair braided. They also loved eating little balls of jello.

I saw so much life come back to Connor while here. I saw excitement in his face and he even got excited when I bought him a Chinese flute. I bought the girls authentic Chinese dresses because they are asked to wear these a lot for school events. I got them pretty umbrellas and they also got their hair braided. Camilla became very affectionate and kept grabbing my arm and telling me how soft my skin was. Carly was wild and crazy like always, but she is very smart. She has adjusted to China very well and helps out a lot when we are struggling to find something.

Connor absolutely loves hot pot and I can see that we will be getting it a lot while we are here. We went twice while we were in Chengdu. I order big plates of meat and he cooks it in the soup. He also loves to drink the soup.

There are many mosquitoes in Chengdu and we kept talking about how they bite certain people, but not others. Camilla and Carly got bitten the most where Connor and I hardly got bitten at all.

I went for a run at Beihu park which had a beautiful bridge connecting to Beihu lake. There were many giant panda statues.

Wangjianglou Park is a prestigious park in Chengdu. The first thing we saw when we walked in was a man writing Chinese characters with water on the sidewalk. The park is located on the south bank of Jinjiang River at the East gate of Chengdu. It is a prestigious historical and cultural park incorporating historical remains of Xue Tao, a well known women poet in the Tang Dynasty. It has ancient architectural complexes in the Qing dynasty, and a rich collection of rare bamboo species. The Park has the earliest collection of bamboo, the longest history of bamboo cultivation and the richest varieties of bamboo. This bamboo is unique to Southern China. The park has 270 species of surviving bamboo. We drank tea here for quite a while because it was so peaceful. We also saw many people playing mahjong. I was surprised at how high the bamboo grows. It was essentially a bamboo forest.

Jinli Ancient Street is said to be the oldest commercial street in Chengdu. It is a good place to experience the West Shu cultures and local customs. The buildings along the streets are Ming and Qing styles. There are teahouses, snacks, artworks, and local products. The kids got many drinks and snacks here.