Chengdu, China

Cute
Originally uploaded by raindrop52.

Ever since I was in second grade, I loved pandas. I wrote the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) so I could get some pamphlets and materials for a report. I guess it's been pretty cool to be able to check these cute guys out over the years. And there's only 190 pandas in zoos/accessible these days!

I thought I'd spend the whole day alone, but the driver who picked me up from the airport was actually my personal driver. He accompanied and drove me to all the sightseeing spots today, even taking me to a local Chengdu 'xiao tzi dian.' It was really good, and only $2.50 total for 12 dishes, per person. Today has been a stark contrast between China and Japan. Some are good (e.g. cheaper transportion, food, goodies, etc.), some are not so good (e.g. more squatting for the bathroom, last man standing/survival of the fittest while walking/driving on the roads, etc.). Overall, this city is what I expected to be -- bustling, crowded, hot, and very Chinese. I can probably count non-Asian, even non-Chinese tourists, on one hand. One thing I did not expect was the difference in Mandarin compared to the way it is spoken in the east. It sounds like a mix of a Shanghainese and Beijing accent; it's loud and fast, with tongue curls here and there.

My driver, Yen si fu, gave me the low-down on all things Chengdu. We got to talking about local businesses and how he's seen the rise of foreign companies, especially franchises, such as Starbuck's. He also mentioned that there are a lot more Taiwanese companies setting up shop as well as newly renovated places to allow for local business ventures. He asked me what I do for a living, but given my Mandarin-speaking level, I could not find the right word for "consulting." Alas, I just told him I try to fix problems. Haha.

I leave for Lhasa tomorrow. I'm super stoked, but also in wonder of how strong the sun is and how the high altitude will affect me. I should be okay, but I'm going to take it easy the first couple of days. I know that with the opening of the train into Lhasa this past July 1, there are a lot more foreign tourists in Tibet. It is saddening to me that more and more of this environmental harm and "cultural genocide" that the Dalai Lama describes it as, is becoming more real. At the same time, it is true that with the train, comes more people, who carry more money, and as a result, strengthens the Tibetan economy. I'll see while I'm there, though, I'll be keeping anything political outside the borders of the PRC and the Roof of the World.