Chengdu China

Not too long of an entry today folks. I'm at a public internet place and there are people waiting. I arrived here after a trip on a ferry from Hong Kong and then a plane ride. This is definitely a town of grays, browns, humidity, and noise. There is siginficant historical background to the town, but as a modern city it is noisy and polluted.

It is a significant contrast to my hike across Lamma Island (Hong Kong) a couple days ago. The government put through a concrete walkway so families could cross the island. It takes about 45-60 minutes. Lamma Island is a semi/tropical land and it really heats up during the middle of the day. There are beautiful flowers, birds, and a few trees. The banannas were still too green to eat, but then the farmers wouldn't appreciate me picking them.

I also spent a couple of days checking out the neighborhoods in Hong Kong, Kowloon, etc. Like any large city the different neighborhoods have different tenors. Soho is the place where trendy restaurants, yoga studios, and wine bars are growing. I was able to get coffee in the area, which was a nice treat. Hollywood street is filled with antiques and curios. Mong Kok is a chaotic melieu of young shoppers.. TST has a ton of people on the streets trying to sell fake Rolex's. Rodney told me that even the fakes are being sold for $2-4000.

I'm in a hostel called Holley's Hostel (it might have a website.. but it is near the Chengdu Dreams hostel and they have pictures of the area) in the Tibetan quarter of town. I'll be here for a few days and log in a couple entries to let you know a little bit about Chengdu. Last night I was feeling a bit low and went into this Tibetan Restaurant. I only knew it was a restaurant because of the sign.. they had to lead me upstairs and into a room to find the actual restaurant. The waitress and I were trying to communicate about what I wanted... I wound up meeting a Tibetan man who just returned from doing his Master's work in Urban Planning in Norway. Then later, a friend of his joined us and she has been a broadcaster on China National radio... it turned out to be a remarkable meeting and evening that went on for 4-5 hours of drinking sweet Tibetan milk tea at her house watching a wonderful Tibetan music video. This video was a fusion of modern and classical Tibetan music.

A little bit of rain today. Maybe it will drop some of the pollution out. I toured a very old historical site and a couple of university students took me as an opportunity to practice their English. It was really helpful to hear what the exhibits are about. Here is a link: http://www.chengdu.gov.cn/echengdu/tourism/landscape_detail/whc.jsp

I'm reminded that one of the most precious things that we have in life are the people we meet and how we engage them. My new friends that I've met here are wonderful. Amd they have enriched my life in ways that are immeasurable. There are a few beggars here and it reminds me about how precious the life I have. We have a choose in each moment about how we will hold ourselves with the people with whom we meet. Whether it is the people we see everyday or strangers, we have a choice whether to meet them with our heart and mind or to treat them as objects to be avoided or engaged. May you take each breath with full awareness and appreciation of those around you.

I'll probably get one more log in before I head off into Barkham.



Cheers.