A Busy Weekend (10-27)

This was an unusually busy weekend. Saturday was camera-buying day. Yang agreed to meet April and me at a digital shopping center in Chengdu. Dale decided to join us for the day, since he had arranged for us to meet Wang Chen later. I knew what I wanted, since I had scouted it out on Tuesday when I had stopped by for a preview of what was available. The Canon stall had the new version of my old camera; so I decided to stick with what is familiar, since I liked the old one a lot. The price was $40 to $90 more than in the U.S, depending on the online store, and $40 more than prices I found on Chinese websites. Yang wasn’t able to negotiate a lower price, since the woman said the price was already reduced. But she did offer an extra battery (a necessity, as Canons are notorious for using lots of battery power), an 8G memory card, and a nice case. I figure all those are worth about $40; so the deal was OK. Besides, I needed a camera and had to pay for what was available. Although April decided not to buy a camera, since the cost is the same as in the UK, she and Dale both made purchases. So it was a successful shopping trip. Yang told Dale she wasn’t able to get more of a discount for his item because he has the wrong face. (In other words, a white, not Chinese, face.) I suggested that, in the future, we scout out what we want and then send her in to buy it.

We had planned to take Yang to lunch, but she was meeting a friend. So we went to Kuanzhai Alleys. These are old streets that have been rebuilt in the old style and are full of shops. We enjoyed walking around and looking at the buildings. 

I especially enjoyed the artistic walls. Some have background pictures with a 3D element. 

Some have objects embedded in the wall. They were really fun to look at.

It was a good opportunity to initiate my new camera. I like it a lot. It was really nice to pick it up and be able to use it comfortably immediately. The zoom moves more smoothly, and it’s lighter because it doesn’t have AA batteries. The new batteries charge much faster—2 hours instead of 8. So I’m happy with my purchase.

After a couple hours at Kuanzhai Alleys, we went to People’s Park, since April and Dale hadn’t been there. Although I’d just been there on Tuesday, it was fun to see it on the weekend. Many more people were there. There was a chrysanthemum festival, which is why I had seen so many chrysanthemums on Tuesday. Inside the entrance there was a new display with many chrysanthemums, including very large ones—the kind for Homecoming flowers—I haven’t seen often.

At 3:30 we met Wang Cheng at the park entrance. After picking up his son at school, where he had his robot-making class (They make robots from Legos kits.), we went to an entertainment center. It turned out to be an interesting place. It used to be a big movie studio where movies were produced and people lived while making the movies. Now it’s an entertainment center. One building has snacks and drinks. Another, that was a kitchen and dining hall, is now a restaurant. The housing building is KTV studios. There are twelve movie theaters. After having drinks and snacks that his wife had brought, we had dinner. Frank, our driver when we went to Jieza, joined us for dinner. 

It was another wonderful Chinese dinner. The feature dish was a huge fish covered with garlic and peanuts. After dinner, Wang Cheng drove us home, which was really nice of him.

Wang Cheng’s son, Wang Ji, is twelve years old. His English is quite good, and he enjoyed chatting with us. He knows a lot, is able to express himself in English well, and has a good sense of humor. When I explained that Nebraska is between New York and California, he thought for a while and then imitated the Statue of Liberty and asked what it is called. He knew it came from France, which made me wonder how many American children his age know that.

I spent Sunday with Julia, a teacher in my class, and her husband and daughter. She had told me that she would take me out with her sometime and would take me anywhere I want to go. Then she showed me a book about tourist sites in Sichuan, and, when I saw Sanxingdui, I mentioned that I would like to go there. So “sometime” turned into Sunday. They picked me up at 9:00. Her husband, Pinghua, works for a foreign company and speaks some English, although his pronunciation is sometime difficult to understand. Their daughter, Ziyu, is ten months old. Julia was off for about ten months—the last two terms—for maternal leave. This term she teaches only four classes—eight hours—a week. They are a delightful family, and I enjoyed the day with them very much. I was introduced to Ziyu as “grandma."

It took almost two hours to arrive at Sanxingdui. (I hadn’t realized it’s so far.) We were mostly on the expressway, which is a toll road. I noticed that Pinghua was getting plastic cards, which I thought were better than paper receipts. Then I realized that no money was changing hands. When I commented, he explained that the expressway is free for Chengdu residents, which are determined by the license plate. When we got farther out, he had to pay.

During our chats, I learned that Julia is originally from the Three Gorges. The family moved to Chengdu about twenty years ago, when she was about ten. Her village was flooded by the increased water level when the dam was built. She does not like the dam and says that most Chinese people don’t like it. Pinghua agrees. When I mentioned the electric power generated, he said that there are many rivers that could be used to provide power and that Sichuan province produces all the power it needs. It was interesting to hear this perspective after hearing the government information on the tour.

Sanxingdui Archeological Site and Museum has two parts. First we stopped at the excavation site. There we saw the plexiglass-covered sacrificial pits, which were discovered in 1986. In the trenches there are replicas of artifacts—masks, tools, broken bronze pots. 

There is an earth mound that is part of the old city wall. And there is a residential area. When we started walking around the area, we got off the main path somehow and ended out walking through part of the village. To me, this was as interesting as the site. 

The area is in the middle of a farming area; so it was also interesting to see the farm houses. The grounds are covered with wild marigolds, zinnias, and cosmos.

Next was lunch in Guanghan, the town near the site. From driving through it, I liked the town. Lunch was a huge bowl of fish soup and a big bowl of chicken soup along with fried sticky rice sticks dipped in a sweet (like molasses) sauce.

The second part of the site is the museum. Like Jinsha, it is beautifully constructed and has a large garden area. The first of two buildings is underground. The buildings house the artifacts from the Shu civilization 2300 to 4500 years ago. I found it interesting that the civilization ended for unknown reasons. 

It is known for jade tools, bronze pots, bronze masks, and large bronze trees. The recorded information informed us that most of the items seem to have been for ceremonial or sacrificial purposes. The tools are often too thin to have been useful and are not damaged from use. Many of the masks are too large and heavy to have been worn. 

Four of the bronze masks have the gold overlays on them. 

Birds and trees were special to the civilization, 

and eyes seem to have had special significance.

When we entered the site, we had a free photo taken in front of a large replica of one of the masks. When we stopped to pick it up before leaving, we were given a 5X7 photo and a key chain with a cropped portrait with a small part of the mask behind it. That’s when we learned that the gimmick is that the key chain portrait is free and you have to pay 10 yuan for the full photo, which was laminated. Julia bought them for us.

After an hour driving back, we arrived in Wenjiang. Before leaving, they took me to dinner at the restaurant in the canteen. Julia ordered another bowl, not as large as the one at lunch, of fish soup, a chicken and celery dish, fresh tofu, and a green, leafy vegetable. I wasn’t hungry, but I ate. The food was quite good. I arrived home at 8:00. Another very full, but very enjoyable day to complete the weekend. They said we’ll do something together again. I would enjoy that.

Off Again (10-25)

After teaching for a week and a half, on Wednesday last week we learned that the freshmen were going to military training this week for two weeks. I first learned about this when some students were asking me about the next lecture. When I told them it would be this week, they let me know that they would be gone. Some of the other foreign teachers had learned about it from students as early as Tuesday. When I emailed Peggy to confirm, she responded that she was going to let us know and thanked me for reminding her. We got the message the next day. I know this didn’t just come up suddenly and had been on the schedule, but she had forgotten to inform us foreign teachers.

So, we have two weeks without our freshmen classes. That left me with one sophomore class and the class for teachers. Then Peggy called on Friday to let me know that the sophomore class was also cancelled because they, too, would be at military training. (I don’t know why.) I was just starting to get into the routine of teaching after two uninterrupted weeks. Oh, well. I’ll get to make that adjustment again.

Dale had been told about a party last Thursday evening for the Foreign Language Department students. It was a pre-departure party before they left for military training. Students gave about ten performances—dance, music, a skit, traditional martial arts. It was nice to see them show their various talents. Each department had their own party. April had been invited to the one for the biology department, since she teaches a class for biology majors. She said it was better than the one we went to.

Last Wednesday I came upon the student fair to recruit for various clubs. The street was lined with colorful boards advertising each group. Some students were in costume. A photographer had me pose with one boy. I noticed the yoga group and asked about participating. I was given a contact phone number, and learned, when I texted, that the class will start after military training.

Now I’m in vacation mode. I became social and invited the others for a pasta dinner on Sunday. I asked April to prepare another dish so we’d have enough food, as four of them are males who eat a lot. We went to Carrefour and the market on Saturday to purchase supplies. Since there is a KFC near Carrefour, we had lunch there. For a few days, I’d been craving a KFC chicken breast, which is unusual for me, and April had mentioned several times that she wanted to eat KFC. So this was our opportunity. The first disappointment was that they don’t have white meat. There is one item that can be white meat or a leg, but it would have been a 20-minute wait. So I ordered popcorn chicken, which was OK but not great. April sampled them and said they are not like the ones in the UK (and probably in the U.S.) because they don’t have as much meat. But the fries were good. April enjoyed her sandwich. She explained that the meat in the sandwiches is dark meat, as Chinese don’t eat much white meat. To complete our treat, we had an ice cream cone, and it was also quite tasty and could be repeated.

My plan for this “vacation” time is to keep busy so I don’t become bored or settle into being unsociable and then have a hard time readjusting to teaching again. Tuesday I went to the Peace Corps office because I’d been told to go in to pick up new Tamiflu, since the box I had was outdated. While there, I picked up some newly-arrived—and new, as they haven’t been read yet—books in the library. They are fiction and nonfiction books about China that will be interesting to read.

In the afternoon I went to People’s Park, since I hadn’t been there yet. It lives up to its name and publicity that it’s a good place to people watch. The park isn’t as big as some I’ve been to and isn’t as green, but it is full of places where people hang out and there are paths to walk on. 

There were people performing—singing and dancing. 

Some were doing social dancing; others were doing traditional dancing. 

One couple was doing what looked like a courtship dance that would usually be done my young performers, but this couple was over 50. 

There were people playing mahjong and badminton. There were men doing water calligraphy on the pavement. When one man noticed that I was taking photos, he handed me his brush; so I painted “HELLO.” 

In one section, there were many of what looked like advertisements on poles. Many old people were reading them carefully. I wondered what they were. The next day I asked Michelle, showing her a photo, and she explained that they are personal ads that parents/grandparents post for young people so they can find a date for their children/grandchildren.

Thursday afternoon April and I went to see Ying at her education center. She wanted us to see it and to talk to us about going to talk with some pre-school teachers next week. She walked us through a shopping area, and we had snacks at KFC. She’s a pleasant young woman.

Friday April and I rented bicycles. Since she’s not a strong rider, we went to the Financial University campus nearby. It’s bigger than our campus, so there are more places to ride around. It was an enjoyable outing. While there, she noticed a sports store, and we went in to see if they have badminton rackets. They do; so we bought an inexpensive set. When we returned, we played for a while. That, too, was fun.

For two weeks, I had students come to see me during my office hours. The first was a girl who is friends with a boy who had been emailing me.  (He calls her his partner.) We had a chat about differences in education in China and the U.S. One difference I mentioned is the encouragement/expectation for students to think and not just memorize information. She liked this and said a few times that she doesn’t like the Chinese system and prefers the Western system. She also prefers Western teachers, which she had in high school, because they are more fun. (Back to that theme again—foreign teachers are supposed to be fun and not serious.) She is a computer major because her exam score was not high enough to be an English major. The boy came the following week and I met him for the first time. Since his writing is pretty good, I was a little surprised at how much he struggled to speak. But this is common. Later he emailed about his embarrassment because he can’t speak much. He is a construction major. One of my students also came that week. She had told me she had a story to tell me and would come to do that. Her story was about an American teacher she had in high school and liked very much. The woman told her that she would keep in touch when she left, but she has not responded to emails, which makes the girl sad. She also talked about how she comes from a poor family in a village. Her father always emphasized the importance of studying and going to university. So she’s here, but, unfortunately, he died two years ago and can’t see this. I felt sad for her.

It’s quiet on campus without all the freshmen. The crowd going to class is like it was last year, not as dense as it is this year. I met a couple former students who are now sophomores and they commented that they like having the freshmen gone because they can go to the canteen for breakfast. Without the freshmen it’s not so crowded and they can get in and buy food in time to go to class. They also mentioned that they are a little envious that the freshmen are at military now and they had to go in May. Because it was hot and sunny in May, they returned with darker skin, which the freshmen won’t have to worry about. I also learned that the electricity in the dormitories will go off at 11:00 PM because it’s not hot now and they don’t need to use the fans at night. So they won’t be able to do much after that hour and will have to go to sleep earlier.

When people ask about my hometown and I tell them that with its population of 150,000 (I’ve now looked it up and learned that the population is now 250,000.) it’s considered to be a small city in the U.S., they laugh. In China, a very small city has a population of 1,000,000. 250,000 is a village.

I’ve been enjoying pomelos recently, as they are in season. These are fruits in the grapefruit family that are not sour and have a thicker skin. I’ve gotten good at removing the skin and separating sections. I’ve also been enjoying pomegranates.

I've also been enjoying these flowering trees. Flowers are pink or white, single or double all on the same tree. 

On Friday when I turned on the computer, 360, the Chinese USB protection program, popped up a message with some gift boxes at the bottom and the number 60 in the Chinese message. I think it looked like a 60 shopping days till Christmas reminder, since it was October 24. Just what I need here in China! (But, of course, that's not what it was.)

Back to Work (10-12)

Back to teaching this week. With an extra day on Saturday to make up classes from last Monday, as that was not part of the official holiday. I couldn’t complain about that, since having the extra day off enabled April and me to leave earlier and miss the huge crowds at Jiuzhaigou. Now we will teach for three months with no holidays. It’s actually good to be able to get into a regular, uninterrupted routine. I’m feeling more motivated.

Last Friday we all met Ying, a woman who is part of Dale’s host family. She has a center for after-school and weekend classes and for teacher training. The purpose of the meeting was to introduce her to the British teachers so they can potentially work for her, as having foreign teachers is always a benefit. Ying is a pleasant young woman with excellent English, as she got her Master’s degree in Australia. I enjoyed meeting and chatting with her even though we—Dale and I—cannot work for her.

Last Saturday April and I joined Dale for an outing with a man his host family introduced him to. Since his wife and son were along, only Dale could ride with him and he had asked another friend to go to drive April and me. The destination turned out to be Jiezi ancient town, about an hour out of Wenjiang. Most of the town was destroyed in the 2008 earthquake and has been rebuilt in the original style.

First on the agenda was lunch. They ordered several special local dishes. My favorite was fresh tofu, which is melt-in-your-mouth soft. It was served with a broth. Afterwards we walked through town to climb Fengyi mountain. Dale and I joined the two men while April joined the wife and son to walk around town and do some shopping. The mountain wasn’t anything special, but it was a good walk with trees and fresh air for two and a half hours. 

One special aspect of the trail was gates over the path from time to time. 















Visibility from the top wasn’t great, which seems to be my fate on mountains here in China, but we could see a bit of the valley. 

Just past the top is an old temple that is interesting. After touring the temple, we caught a minibus down the mountain. This was good, as I was tired. The walk wasn’t especially challenging, but I had walked a lot for three days in Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou earlier in the week. 

Once we met up with the others, we had a light supper of two noodles dishes and another dish of fresh tofu in sauce. It’s always nice to have people who can order such local specialties for us.

Saturday Dale arranged a KTV/karaoke night. He invited all of us and about some students, about a dozen of whom, mostly girls, joined us. Several of the girls are my students. He had reserved two rooms; so we split the group. At first the girls were shy about singing. They took a bunch of photos with me. As time went on, they became more comfortable and sang a lot, mostly Chinese songs. We teachers took our turns and sang, too. As usual with such occasions, the 2.5 hours was longer than my interest level. I found myself missing my Thai karaoke friends. For me, karaoke will always be about Thailand and my friends who sang along as my backup. I did “Yesterday Once More” and “Take Me Home Country Roads,” my standard contributions. I kept thinking about “Beautiful Sunday,” but I can’t imagine singing it without my friends.

Mike and I walked back with the students. When we got to the girls’ dorm, a couple hugged me, and then they all ran over for a group hug. I’ve been told that I’m very kind like students’ grandmothers. So it felt like a good-night hug like they would give their grandmother. That was sweet.

This has been a week for massages. On Sunday I went for a body massage. When I walked down the street, I didn't see the place. When I walked back up, I saw the tables. The women were different and the clock is in a different place, but the purple curtains and tables are the same. Also, the price was 50 yuan, instead of 40. But I decided to try it anyway. The woman was quite good, and I liked what she did. The massage was 50 minutes, thus the higher price. When I left and walked up the street, I glanced in the shop next door, and it was the massage place I had been to before. The tables have been moved to the other side and are hard to see when walking by the door. When I was waiting to cross the street, the woman recognized me and ran out to greet me. Of course, I couldn't do more than that. And I felt a little guilty about having just emerged from her neighboring competitor. I think she didn't know that and wanted me to go for a massage.

Friday I went for a foot massage, since feet are not included in the body massage and my feet were needing one. I’d seen a place in the shopping area nearby that looked like a foot massage place, and it was. It was OK but not as good as the woman I’d been to before. The cost is the same, but it’s only for half an hour instead of an hour. However, it’s more convenient, as it takes about an hour to get to the other place. So where I go will depend on how much time I want to take.

Jiuzhaigou National Park (10-2)

Monday morning we woke up early again so we could get to the park fairly early. April had asked the hostel receptionist to purchase return tickets (You can’t purchase round trip bus tickets.) to Chengdu, but he hadn’t done that. We had tried to purchase them when we arrived, but we were too early, as they only sell tickets three days in advance. Since he hadn’t done that yet and we wanted to be sure to get an early bus, we went to the bus station before going to the park.

Tickets in hand, we were happy and ready to enjoy our day in the park. We had to wait only a few minutes to go through the entrance and then several more to get on a bus to the top of the park. The buses, for which we paid 90 yuan ($15) run regularly, and  you can hop on and off at various stops. The park is shaped like a Y, with the first valley going straight in and then a valley to the left and one to the right.

Our bus took us to the top of the left valley, which took half an hour and we arrived at 9:15. The altitude there is 3000 meters/9840 feet. Long Lake is the first scenic spot. It’s the largest lake in the park. 

From there we walked down to Five Color Pool where we enjoyed the clear, blue water and some reflections.

Next we took the bus to one of the Tibetan villages open for tourism. There are nine villages in the valley, thus it’s name which means “Valley of Nine Villages.” We spent two hours in the village, wondering around the beautiful, colorful houses. Most of these are shops selling various souvenirs to tourists. 

One had a room where a woman was selling tea; so we sat on a bench and enjoyed a bowl of traditional Tibetan tea and some bread. Later we succumbed to a bowl of instant noodles, which were the only food sold in most places.

After eating, we walked to Nurilong Waterfall, the biggest waterfall in the park. It is very wide and loud as the water tumbles over the cliff in streams.

From there we walked on to Mirror Lake. Since we were on the inside path, we enjoyed the trees and rushing streams along the way. 

It started to rain very lightly; so the lake wasn’t very mirror-like, but it was still lovely. Close to the shore there were some reflections of trees. I was fascinated here—and at most of the clear lakes—with the fallen trees underwater that were so clearly visible.

An hour after leaving the waterfall, we arrived at Pearl Shoal. It’s named so because the water rushing over the rocks looks like pearls. 

It’s massive and loud. Many trees grow in the shoal’s water. We thought we’d walked all around the path on the map, but later I realized that we must have missed one part because we missed the waterfall. It’s probably similar to others that are after almost every lake.

From there it’s a short walk to Five Color Lake, which is considered to be the jewel of Jiuzhaigou. By this time, it was no longer raining and the lake was perfectly smooth and clear. Reflections of the trees and mountains were beautiful. The water was turquoise and green and various colors from the reflections.

After relaxing and enjoying the beautiful lake, it was time to get a bus back down. By the time we arrived at the entrance, it was 5:30. Having left the hotel at 7:30 and walking most of the day, we were ready to be back. We were also ready for a real meal. It felt food to sit at a restaurant and eat dishes.

I purchased a ticket to go back to the park on Tuesday, since I wanted to spend my time there. April opted for a day in the village. When it’s not the high season, tickets are good for two days. But not now.

The weather was overcast and cold all day. I wore my hood and gloves all day to keep my head and hands warm. With three layers on my chest and all the walking , I was warm enough.

Tuesday morning, the official National Day, I arrived at the park at 7:45. When I left the hostel, I could tell that the weather was going to be better, since it was already warmer than it had been on Monday. And it was. In the afternoon, I shed a layer, and I didn’t need my hood or gloves all day.

There were several tour groups organizing in the entrance area, but I got through the gate with no waiting. Since we went in a left gate on Monday and the bus went up the left valley, I gambled that if I went in a right gate, the bus would go up the right valley. I was correct. So at 8:15 I arrived at Arrow Bamboo Lake. The low clouds gave it a mystical feeling. I had decided that I would walk down to the next lake. So on I went. I went down on the inside path, on the side of the lake away from the road. 

Although the lake itself wasn’t very colorful, it was calm, and I enjoyed the stunning reflections of the trees, mountains, and clouds. As I descended, I enjoyed the trees in the forest. There were only about a dozen other people walking at that time; so I was alone much of the way, which I also enjoyed. On the other side of the lake, I could see a stream of people on the path and was glad I had chosen the forest path. 

After the lake, there’s a small waterfall, 

and then there are streams of water descending down the mountain to Panda Lake.

By the time I arrived at Panda Lake, more people had arrived. Panda Lake is named for pandas that were there in the past (but I think not now) and for the black shadows sometimes in the lake that are like the black on pandas. Since the sun had come above the mountain by this time and the lake was calm, the water was turquoise. 

Of course, there is another waterfall after the lake. This is a high one from which the water streams around the trees on the mountainside. 

With the increased number of people, there was a steady stream walking down to Five Color Lake. I hadn’t planned to go there again, but it was such a lovely day and I was enjoying walking; so I continued on down the mountain.

Since it was such a lovely day, the lake was more colorful with better reflections than we saw on Monday. And, since I was hungry, I lingered at the lake to eat and relax. 

I especially enjoyed an area that had green moss-like plant growing underwater like an underwater forest.

Then it was time to take the bus down the mountain. I stopped at Nurilong Waterfall again because I’d noticed that there is a good overall view from the road that we had missed on Monday. 

Then I decided to stop at another lake on the way down that we’d seen from the bus and walk in that area a bit. So I got off at Rhinoceros Lake, which has reeds and a view of the higher mountains that are also reflected in the lake. 

From there I walked to Tiger Lake. Again I took the path away from the road. And again, very few people were on that path and I had silence most of the way. I walked through more forest with trees on one side and water rushing around the trees most of the way on the other side. I enjoyed both.

Tiger Lake is named for the waterfall that sounds like a tiger’s roar and for the yellow color when autumn leaves are reflected in the lake. It is another lovely, blue lake with great tree reflections. This lake had trees growing in it along the shore. After going around the lake, I came to the mill house. 

There I saw a sign to Shuzheng Waterfall. Being so close, I had to walk up to it. I’d missed it because it’s on the road side of the lake. There is a tremendous quantity of water streaming down the mountain around moss-covered rocks and trees.

At the top of the waterfall, I enjoyed the other side of the lake. Then I noticed another Tibetan village across the street and decided to stop there briefly. I wasn’t really in the mood to do much shopping, but the views of the lower valley from the top of the hill were beautiful.

Then it was time to take the bus to the bottom and leave the park for the last time. I walked for most of the eight hours I was in the park and was ready to leave, but I was glad to have had this extra day there.

                                                         

In the park, there are toilets at regular intervals. They were pretty clean. Some had replaceable, biodegradable bags that covered the seat and caught the waste. There was a sign saying that these were available. When you finish, you push the button and, instead of flushing, the bag folds up, drops, and a new one takes its place. Pretty cool.

After a short stay in the room, April and I went to the nearby market to do some shopping, but we didn’t find anything we wanted. We had a sit-down dinner again and then headed for the cultural show. Outside we were greeted with a group of men and women singing. When we entered, everyone was given a traditional white scarf. 

The show was quite enjoyable—a nice combination of traditional Chinese dance, traditional Tibetan dance and singing, and modern dance and singing. When we arrived, every seat had a cup of a non-alcoholic drink. At the end of the first dance there was a toast in which we flicked a bit to the right and to the left and then drank the rest.

This ended our wonderful holiday in Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou.

Wednesday morning we went out to catch a taxi to the bus station. However, there were none. In fact, there were hardly any cars going that direction; it was almost like the traffic was being controlled and reduced. There was a steady stream of cars and buses going the other way—out of town. So I knew that it would take us about an hour to get out of town. We ended out walking the whole way to the bus station—half an hour—and arriving just on time. The sidewalk was packed with tourists going to the park. When we passed the entrance, we saw that the whole area was packed solid with people. We were really glad we’d gone early and avoided the extreme crowds. I think people had worked on Monday and traveled on Tuesday; so they were at the park on Wednesday. After we passed the park, we were walking against the masses going to the park. It was really good to arrive at the bus station and get away from that. There was a steady stream as far as we could see.

After waiting half an hour for the rest of the people, we finally left. And I was correct: it did take an hour to get out of town. We saw masses of people walking almost to the next part of the village. So our nine-hour journey had become ten and a half hours and we were hardly started. It was going to be a long day.

Half way back traffic stopped. There must have been an accident ahead that closed one side of the road because only one lane moved at a time. The line of vehicles went as far as we could see. Only one lane of traffic moved at a time. Cars coming the other direction had a police escort. When it was our lane’s turn to move ahead, cars from behind moved into the left lane; so both lanes were packed solid. Of course, those cars had to be let into our lane before vehicles coming the other direction could move ahead.

It took an hour to go about nine kilometers. (We had recently passed a sign to the next town.) So the trip back to Chengdu took 11.5 hours. Then we had to take a taxi home because it was too late for a bus. We left the hostel at 7:15 and arrived home at 9:00. A long day, but good to be home again.