It didn't help that of course we went to a hot pot place where not only was no English spoken, but they didn't even do the "not so hot" hot pot that we had the word for in our guide book. So, oh well, give us the regular cauldron of death.
The other must do in Chengdu is a visit to the Panda Breeding Center. No words other then "Awww....how cute" are necessary.
The adults pandas are cute sure, but the baby pandas just about knock you out with their fuzzy antics.
After Chengdu it was on to Xi'an where we had a good time walking around and not going to the major tourist site, the Terra Cotta Warriors. We wandered around the Muslim Quarter and ate street food and chatted with the animals.
And of course we had some more great food. We are now big fans of the Western Chinese cuisine.
After Xi'an it was on to Beijing, where we actually did some touristy things - the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.
Is everyone tired of seeing my bike riding outfit yet? Same skirt, same shirt, same hat. I know I am.
We hiked about 12 km of the Wall in the rain. Although it was wet, cold and windy, the rain kept the other tourists away. The wall looked like a dream someone who'd had too much hot pot was having, it kept disappearing into the mist and then dramatically re-appearing.
We're now in Shanghai for two more days before flying on to Japan. Japan is our last stop before heading back to SF. We return to SF on June 28. Oh, I'd be so lying if I denied being pretty anxious to get home again. I miss all my friends and family. I miss knowing my way around where I am - map reading gets really old. Everyone who knows us is saying to themselves - what? When has Cheryl ever read a map? Rich does that. And they are correct, so maybe I should say watching Rich read maps never gets old, but I'm still looking forward to being home and having friends to hang out with.
But first - Japan!
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