28 March 2007
Many of the kids didn’t make it to breakfast this
morning, having ignored or slept through the early
morning call.
We drove back to Chengdu, some three hours away. Once
there we visited Jin Li Cultural Street. This street,
very popular with Chinese, is really a recreated
version of the sort of places I found in Beijing when
I went their in the 1980s, except that all the shops
are aimed at tourists. It is a pleasant area and
great for souvenir shopping and snacks. The kids no
doubt thought I was mean when I told them that they
couldn’t go to KFC, Starbucks or any of the other
western fast food joints further up the road. Later
though, having tried the local snacks, they seemed
happy enough. There was some delicious food on sale
and at very reasonable prices. Once they had finished
their shopping, we let them raid Starbucks.
After lunch we visited the famous Wu Hoa Temple. Many
of the students are getting really interested in
photography and they spent two hours wondering about
the peaceful gardens and buildings taking photographs.
Digital cameras are great – they really encourage
students to look at the things they are visiting,
especially when there is come competition to get the
best shot.
We had a couple of hours to relax at the hotel (Wen
Jun Mansions again) before dinner – a ‘traditional
Sichuan BBQ’. The restaurant was large, loud and, to
my mind at least, more American than Chinese. Waiters
came around the tables with huge skewers of barbequed
meat and sliced pieces directly onto our plates. The
food was good, and although I found the experience
painful to say the least, the students loved it. They
ate huge quantities and there were a number of
dangerously extended bellies by the time we left. One
of the guides ate so much that I doubt he will be able
to climb for a month.
