April 22nd. Ellen's birthday! Despite the fact that Ellen planned this whole trip, she was upset about one key forgotten concept. We were all a little more than sore after our day of hiking. She declared it wasn't fair to be sore on her birthday. She tried to blame it on Johann and I, which we quickly handed back to herself. That's what family is supposed to do right?
We started our day by going to the Wild Goose Pagoda. There was some story about monks praying for food and a wild goose fell in that spot. Honestly, I only caught the end of Linda's explanation. But the old pagoda soared into the blue sky. Time had tried to take over this sturdy structure, but it prevailed. Surrounding it was a park that was filled with people exercising in various methods, children playing, old men talking, and in general everyone soaking up the sun.
A large bell hung outside in the park. Next to it, sat a wall covered in red tags. Linda told us in ancient times, before the noise of a big city, when you had a message for someone, you would write a message, hang it on the wall, and ring the bell. Then, later, a person would go check the wall for messages. It has now turned into a wall for wishes. You can also pay to ring the bell three times. Johann tackled the ringing of the bell while I wrote a happy birthday wish on the wall. As I was writing, a man told me it was meant for messages of peace for the world. So I quickly added a message for the world on the card, just to cover my bases.
So. Brutal honesty time. We went to a museum next. There are museums that really enthrall me. Keep reading and you'll see this. However, this one, did not to say the least. It was dark overly crowded rooms with ancient relics lit up on pedestals. Explanations were minimal and uninteresting. So, I'm sorry if you are really into this museum, which I can't even remember the name of at this point. If you are, I'm sorry because I'm gonna just move right along from it.
Afterwards, we went to the airport. An hour and half of a flight later, we landed in Chengdu. Our last guide, Abby, picked us up from the airport. She quickly became our favorite guide due to her welcoming personality and her abundance of knowledge. She recommended a restaurant for dinner. After checking into the hotel, we went to dinner at a little Italian restaurant. The evening ended in celebration of Ellen's birthday.
The next morning, Abby met us in the lobby. Dave was feeling worn out and decided to take a easy day at the hotel. The rest of us hopped into the van. I was very excited about this morning. I learned something very important about myself. I have a panda obbession.
We went to the Chengdu Panda Reserve. Johann discovered pandas are his spirit animal. They have ten hours of eating and fourteen hours of sleeping everyday. Scientists have begun to think they die so easily in the wild due to their... lifestyle. To panda's credit, out of all the 10 pounds of bamboo they eat daily, only 40% is nutrient for them. So basically, we watched pandas all morning. And it's true. They just eat and sleep. Yet I was captivated by them. I couldn't stop watching. I asked about the adoption process for a panda. Apparently Jackie Chan did it. Clue number one that this was not for me. I asked about the penalty about kidnapping a panda. Apparently, it's quite severe. So I just made sure I hit up the gift shop afterwards.
After lunch, we headed to the Jinsha Site Museum. It was at the site of excavation for relics from 1100 BC. The museum did a fantastic job of tying the relics into a story of how people use to live. From sacrifices to day to day life, between the wonderful museum and the even better Abby, I was enthralled by the stories and presentations laid before us.
Our last stop with Abby was the Broad and Narrow Alleys. These are some of the oldest streets in China. It's a market street with vendors lining the walls. Johann and I tried rat heads. Tastes like chicken. Abby had us try "the grossest food ever made"- preserved eggs. Not my favorite, but I wouldn't say the grossest food ever. Stores sold souviners, teas, silk, whatever you want. Locals crowded the narrow alleys, enjoying the afternoon. The atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful. My favorite part, though, was the art on the walls. It was a combination of 3D and 2D art. A painting would stick out in one key angle to make you stop and wonder. These covered many walls. It was a question of graffiti or art. But anyone who stopped for a half second realized the pure art before them.
We all decided to have a "panda night." So we called it early, had dinner in the hotel, and relaxed. Despite an amazing couple of days, I was just feeling blue. I was realizing my trip is coming to an end, balancing out some people's unneeded comments to me, and such things. I was just bummed. So I took a hot bath and sang some songs. As always, does the trick. Does not matter what country you're in at the time. Panda nights. Needed by all.
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