It was 9.6.18 and after a 4.5 hours late night flight to Chongqing, it was an early morning (0240 hrs) check-in into a boutique hotel (within Paradise Walk), short sleep and our first breakfast was this delicious looking bowl of noodles (RMB6) at a nearby street shop. Local food is always our direction and purpose in our travels. Blend in with the locals. With our Chinese family background, that's not a big problem. What gives us away, is the different spoken Chinese language!
On we wandered to Ciqikou, which was 9 stations away by MRT (RMB12). From where we were, we had to wander underground to catch the train. Food stalls in clean and compact shoplots lined our path to the train station. Our bags were scanned and water bottles were analysed on a separate machine. In the quaint old part of Chongqing, we had to navigate through narrow streets lined with food and souvenir stalls. For sustenance, we had bbq pork leg (RMB20), smelly tofu (RMB12), bbq octopus (RMB20) and crab soup dumplings (RMB40). After 3.5 hours, off we went to the next destination.
And it was Hongyatong, a gigantic multi-storey wooden building by the river. An amazing piece of architecture indeed. There were hoards of tourists, mostly locals, who were civilised in their manners and there were no loud conversations and pushings around. Unlike what we've heard about the Chinese online. On the contrary, they're very helpful and offered suggestions to our destinations because we looked like lost. Our pre-conceptions about them were smashed!
After we huffed and puffed on the 30 minutes climb via steps to the top, we were rewarded with this amazing sunset view of the Qiansimen Bridge across the Jialing River. A mix of the old and new could be seen in this shot and the synergy added to the charm and lure of this tourist spot. 30 minutes was spent admiring the beauty of this view and observing the activities of the locals who like us, were busy with selfies and we-fies. Dinner was ma-la steamboat (RMB180), a local delicacy which is stomach-churning hot!
The next destination, was a journey to Wulong Karst. An amazing karst landscape and had us in awe with this geological wonder. It was also the scene for the shooting of Transformers : Age of Extinction. At a cool 23 degres Celsius, it was a 30 mins walk down the valley via concrete steps. If you feel like being carried down by sedan chairs, you can part with RMB200. It can be quite an experience itself, as you sit on a chair lifted by two men on their shoulders as they navigate the steep path down to the valley. We opted to enjoy the short hike since it was a fairly good weather, with grey clouds looming overhead. Almost 4 hours was spent in this sprawling 19 hectares geological UNESCO heritage wonder.
To supplement our tour of China, a visit to the local zoo (Yangjiaping) was in the works. For the first time, we saw a red panda. A rarity which I'm pleasantly surprised. The kids had fun observing the animals in this neatly kept park in the city (RMB105 for 2 adults, 2 kids). To pacify the hunger pangs, local dumplings were had. I was impressed with the connectivity of public transport and the various stops along the MRT track. Excellent planning of services around buildings instead of the other way round.
The final place to check out was the 3 Gorges Museum. A grand museum for a grand irrigation and electrical power generation project. Again, we had to submit our bags for security scanning and separate analysis for the water bottles. At 1500 hrs, we were lucky as the entrance closed at 1530 hrs. Walking through 4 floors of exhibits on the history of the project, the culture and lifestyle of the folks along the river who had their lives changed forever.
This trip to China, being my first experience of it, left me wanting for more! No, I did not meet loud mouth and uncouth Chinese people but instead, they seemed happy and contented and because of that, are always helpful to offer help and direction to us tourists. All public toilets are clean here, and you don't have to pay anything to use it. Yes, they have doors and you don't have to expose your butt to other users. Speaking limited Putonghua, we survived the experience of strong local Chinese dialects and were able to move around without much difficulty. Even the kids had their perception of China completely turned around and they're now comparing the technology and facilities with what's being offered in their home country - Malaysia. Don't forget to book your next fligh to Chongqing. Till the next World Destination Travel, keep smiling and choose to live a good Life!
For more amazing shots of amazing China, look here Best of Chongqing
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://classic.avantlink.com.au/affiliate_app_confirm.php?mode=js&authResponse=b79c4b601cb8649cc350c18a07cba8067e0851f2"></script>
