After about 24 hours of flying and layovers, we arrived in Chengdu China.  We were excited to experience China and all of the food, customs and people.  The language barrier is extreme, and we could find no one who spoke English at the airport in Chengdu.  After getting our bags we were greeted by Bennett, Garrett’s brother, who has been living in China for about 5 years.  Luckily we had him as a translator and tour guide for this trip.  If not for Bennett, I am not sure we would have had nearly as much success getting around and feeling comfortable in this massive foreign city.

The city of Chengdu is the 5th largest city in China currently, with a population over 14 million.  It is known as the home of the giant panda, and for its spicy Sichuan cuisine.  Also visiting the area at the same time was Bennett & Garrett’s parents, so for a few days we were all able to tour the area together, which was great.  Our first day, after much needed rest, we set out to meet the family and Bennett’s girlfriend Jen (pictured above, also now his wife).  Jen did not speak English so we had to use Bennett translate and Google translate to communicate.  We headed to a local outdoor market for a glimpse of the local street food and shops.  The crazy types of foods that are popular here were not a surprise but also not something I really felt the need to try.  I did sample some rabbit, and seasoned tofu, however I avoided most of the other rodent and bug related delicacies.

Yes those are Rabbit heads in the picture above!  Crazy cuisine is half the experience in China.  In most meals the meat is often Rabbit, Duck, and Frog.  To help us get used to the spicy food Bennett ordered us Beef and Chicken for our first Sichuan meal.  It was so spicy but delicious!  The little red pepper the area is known for is very tasty but packs a major punch.  It is used in many of the dishes.   Throughout our stay we had many different popular dishes including BBQ style and hot pot.  Hot pot was a very interesting soup, it was very spicy and oily and packed with the numbing sichuan peppercorns that make the soup hotter and hotter as the meal goes on.  At our hot pot table we had about 8 people sharing from one vat.  We added raw meats and vegetables to the hot broth, everything from fish, duck blood, liver, frog legs, heart and other animal body parts I am not used to eating.  The flavor was hot and spicy and we were all sweating by the end of the very filling meal.

Another fun meal we had more than once was Chinese BBQ, where you put all your meats and veggies on skewers and cook them over a hot flame.  Over several meals we got to meet many of Bennett’s friends from China and all around the world.  We had a blast at an outdoor BBQ where we got to play games and hang out.  Ping Pong tables were set up and Garrett kept team USA in the lead most of the afternoon.   The bathrooms in the majority of public places here have been “squatty potty” style with just a hole in the floor to squat over, however at this outdoor BBQ the bathrooms were more like a hole in the ground with a wall in front of it…the hardest restrooms to use of the whole trip!  When traveling China you always want to have your own toilet paper and hand sanitizer with you because you will never find any in a public restroom.

Several times while we were out at a club or bar we would play dice and hand signal games.  Games seem to be a pretty common social activity while out drinking and it was fun to learn and watch the games being played.  Karaoke is also very popular in Chengdu and we got to go out with Bennett & Jen’s friends and experience a KTV with some pro’s.  The KTV was a massive building with a full bar and liquor store inside and many private rooms for each group of singers to enjoy.

Touring the countryside one day we headed by train to Leshan to do some sight seeing and catch a glimpse of the Giant Buddha.  The giant Buddha is 233 ft tall and is on the bank of the Min and Dadu Rivers.  The town on the river was cute and quaint with Buddha sculptures all over the town park.  We had a great time hanging out in this town for an afternoon and taking a boat tour of the Giant Buddha.

After sightseeing with many many more Buddha statues and playing more dice games at the local pub, we headed by train back to the big city.

Another big tour we were so excited about was the Panda Research Base.  We got to roam through the massive park and see so many different kinds of Panda.  Chengdu is known for the Giant Panda but also has Red Panda’s.  The park was amazing and we got to see up close so many different ages and sizes of Panda.

On our last full day in Chengdu we went to a Chinese Opera.  It was quite a performance, we were front and center and did not understand a single word of the show but it was still entertaining!!