Day 113: Chengdu, Sichuan Province

Today, we had the intention of going to the Panda Research Center to get a good look at many different species of Pandas. Unfortunately, we didn't end up going. Since I got to China (Hong Kong included) it has been raining, so we are trying to plan our next move out of this province so we can get away from the storm. We decided to head down south and then make our way up to the Shaanxi province to get some good trekking... That is our plan as of now. We spent the rest of the morning calling and buying the necessary bus and train tickets for the next week or so. Got a lot of planning out of the way.

By the time the afternoon rolled around, we realized it would be too late to go see the pandas; by around noon they get really lazy and just lay around all day. So we decided to explore some of the concrete jungle of Chengdu. Not too much to see... We popped in an outdoor store and Joseph got a few things for the possible treks ahead. 

Afterwards, we just hung out at the hostel, and I read into a few possibilities as to what to do after China. For dinner, we went to something called hot pot. At hot pot, there is a large pot in the middle that holds a bunch of broth and spices; it has a pepper in it called mala, which has a slight numbing effect it is so hot. We ordered a variety of meat and vegetables and threw them in the pot to let them cook. About half way through, we had rid ourselves of any stuffed noses and were patting our facsd down with a small towel. Hottest thing I have ever consistently eaten.

After dinner, Joe and i went to a bar that the guy from Greenville, Matt, that i met in Hing Kong recommended. it was in the top of this tall apartment building with shops and restaurants at the bottom. when we got to the top floor, all we saw was normal apartments. Once we got to the end of the walkway, we saw a small room with an open door and a porch. There were a handful of young expats inside. it was a cool quiet bar were we could relax before we headed out tomorrow. Called it a relatively early night so we could make it to our early bus ride.