Stick It In Your Bag

Stick It In Your Bag  

Ok the ending to this day is by far the funniest day we have had.Another early wake up for as we move cities to the super city of Chengdu. Our taxi picked us up at 5:30 in the morning because the drive to the airport is about an hour. Quickly we realize the drive will probably be half that time as our driver goes faster than any car I have ever been in. Between the speed and lack of pre morning traffic we were going to make it in no time. Sitting at a light he begins to take off until we feel a jerk, hear a loud thump, and screech to a stop. Lovely, another car has just run into us. We sit in the middle as drivers get out, talk to each other for a little, cars honk at us (really honking at us really is going to make the wrecked cars move), and then the driver gets back in. He looks at us laughing and calls the other driver an idiot in Chinese. 

 Landing in Chengdu we collected our luggage and grabbed a taxi. As usually nothing is easy as the driver tries to rip us off and charge us 200 for a ride that should be about 80 yuan. A little arguing and agreed to use the meter. When we arrive he chooses not to use the meter and we argue some more. Neither of us understand each other. Finally gave him about 100 and walk away. I am determined to make it through without getting ripped off.Wengun Mansion Hotel is by the far the most decorated hotel we have had so far. It is decked out with lanterns, old arches, lights, paintings, and everything Chinese. It is located on an old street that looks like it should be a pedestrian walkway but cars also swerve in and out of the people as they walk down the middle. The entire street is decorated and makes for the most picturesque Chinese street. 

 We ventured to Chunxi road which puts 5th Avenue in New York to shame. There aren't just fancy shops but full department stores for Gucci, Prada, Fendi, and every other top name designer. Blocks and blocks are dedicated to shopping mall after shopping mall ranging from penny stores and cheap clothing to high end retail. I guess when you have over a billion people the demand for the number of shops rises.Lunch was delicious with a platter of sushi. Like usual the wait staff has not entertained many foreigners and was amazed by us. When my mom ate her rice with a spoon the chef personally came out to watch her for awhile. 

 In the afternoon we visited a temple that showed the history of the three kingdoms. It was pretty neat with statues of notable leaders.Next stop was Jinli street which is made to look like ancient China but is actually new. It was a beautiful shopping street with lanterns hanging, food stalls, and artistic vendors selling their crafts. There are even people who sell air blown candy sculptures. 

 In the evening we went to the traditional Sichuan Opera House to view a series of entertainment skits that showcase talents developed long ago. I was fortunate enough to get to be professionally dressed like one of the traditional ladies in the opera. One of the performers did my make up. In the end it looked super cool however the look is not exactly feminine. 

 

There is something about the big black brows higher up, the red eye shadow highlights, and the big round belt that makes the look slightly manly. Either way I really enjoyed getting to spend the time in their own dressing quarters getting ready. The only down fall is that they clean your face at the end with a cooking oil. It was the same cooking oil that we could smell on the streets and could barely stand. Worst smell ever! 

 

 

Probably the most unique talent in the show was the shadow play. Sounds dorky right? Well the Chinese have somehow managed to take a simple child's play activity and make it an artist sport. This performer made eagles flying, horses running, snakes eating rabbits, and much more!

 

 After the show we decided to get food at a hot pot. Walking into the restaurant we should have known it was going to be a rough experience. It turns out they were closing but we're going to stay open for us. Seven waiters and waitresses rushed towards us and began to ask for pictures and laugh. Once we were shown to our seats they all stood around watching. This was clearly a place that they never got western tourists at. We had no idea what to do.Finally the one boy gave us an iPad that had the menu on it with some rough English translations on some items. He went through them motioning what we should do. 

 *** Side not that I just thought of while writing. I have noticed this in the Sichuan province and now in Tibet. In the olden times when developing activities and performances the area adopted super long sleeves. This can be seen in my opera pics. They remind me of the Wacky Inflatable Arm guys at car dealerships.I clicked some buttons and the screen with some weird looks. From what I could tell we got hot oil and regular split so we could try both.

 We also ordered some boneless chicken and some beef. I kept getting weird looks when picking and a lot of laughing. What is funny about boneless chicken and beef?We soon found out. First they brought the oils out and began to boil them. He added stuff into the pot and poured things from a can on our plate. Then came the meat. A nice platter of chicken feet and nondescript meat balls with the oddest texture. 

 

Well my mom sure isn't going to eat this. I guess I am going to have to. I managed to stuff down two beef balls until I couldn't swallow anymore. My mom and I exchanged nervous looks. Stick it in your bag I told her. We took turns keeping lookout to make sure no one saw. One by one we wrapped up the chicken feet and balls and hid them. We were laughing so hard I thought I was going to pass out. 

The whole restaurant was empty and only a few workers remained cleaning up. Here we were with chicken feet soaked with that oil smell stuck in our bags hysterically laughing. They had to think we were deranged. Slowly we made our escape after paying but not before they took a few more pictures. Hope they couldn't smell those feet in my bag! Out on the street we dumped our bags and went back to the room hungry but satisfied with our day!