CHENGDU - On my way to Chengdu I decided to make a stop in Dazu county. The Buddhist rock carvings in the area have been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site - and, after having a look, I can see why. The little town of Dazu is sort of charming - but the lack of affordable accommodation is a real problem. Foreigners in China are only allowed to stay at specific hotels, and in Dazu that amounts to only one. Since it's the May Day holiday they told me that there was only a deluxe suite available - it was expensive and I was stuck.
I was sure that they were lying about the lack of accommodation in the hotel just to up-sell me, particularly since the hotel seemed empty. But when 7pm rolled around and about six tour buses full of elderly German and French tourists pulled into the parking lot, I started to believe them.
I was surprised to find how massive and well preserved the rock carvings at Bei Shan and Baoding Shan were. Considering the fact that I had never even heard of them before, I've started wondering how many other treasures are lying around that I have no idea about. Anyway, if you find yourself in the area, I highly recommend a visit.
Now, I'm in Chengdu (the capital of Sichuan) trying to kill off a hangover. Last night I had a delicious hot-pot with a South African guy who is in the big city for some social interaction. He's living in a remote community teaching English. He's the only foreigner in his town and he doesn't speak Chinese and nobody in town has much of a grasp of English. That lead to a long night of chit-chat over several bottles of beer.
I'm trying to line up an interview with Prof. Chen Guojie here in Chengdu. I might have to wait until next week though.
A.
I was sure that they were lying about the lack of accommodation in the hotel just to up-sell me, particularly since the hotel seemed empty. But when 7pm rolled around and about six tour buses full of elderly German and French tourists pulled into the parking lot, I started to believe them.
I was surprised to find how massive and well preserved the rock carvings at Bei Shan and Baoding Shan were. Considering the fact that I had never even heard of them before, I've started wondering how many other treasures are lying around that I have no idea about. Anyway, if you find yourself in the area, I highly recommend a visit.
Now, I'm in Chengdu (the capital of Sichuan) trying to kill off a hangover. Last night I had a delicious hot-pot with a South African guy who is in the big city for some social interaction. He's living in a remote community teaching English. He's the only foreigner in his town and he doesn't speak Chinese and nobody in town has much of a grasp of English. That lead to a long night of chit-chat over several bottles of beer.
I'm trying to line up an interview with Prof. Chen Guojie here in Chengdu. I might have to wait until next week though.
A.
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