Dec 05

Got up at 10 and headed out for a look at the town in daylight. The dragon pool was first on my agenda. To my horror the entrance fee was 60 yuan which I think is extortionate given that it was just a park. I have no problems paying high entrance fees to anything of an historical nature but this was just a park. I begrudgingly paid the entrance fee which to be fair was worth it for the stunning views. Afterwards I grabbed something to eat and went in search of an internet cafe. I got chatting to a guy from the UK called Craig who was doing a similar route to me. He was also planning on trekking the tiger leaping gorge tomorrow so we agreed to meet up in the evening for a few beers.

I met Craig that night for some beers and we were joined by a friend of Craigs, Manuel and another Dutch lad called shanti. After some beers and a few smokes back at their hostel i decided that i would join them on the tiger leaping gorge trek. I had planned to do the walk in two days but they convinced me three days would be better. I ended up sleeping in a spare bed in there room as I was to wrecked to go home.

/12/2005 The wake up call came at 7 and I clambered out of bed feeling tired but thankfully not too hung over. I called Conor who in turn called an English and Australian girl who had also decided to come. We grabbed a taxi and headed off to the reserve. The pandas were definitely worth the visit to Chengdu as you could get really close. If you wanted to hold one you had to pay 800Y. The Chinese will find a way of making money out of anything. We got chatting to one of the vets who was very friendly and informative. She said there were only 1400 pandas left in the world and that the center had 40. The panda is a curious creature in both its eating and mating habits. It only eats a certain type of bamboo and is very fussy about who its pairs off with . Unfortunately the center had only managed to breed one offspring this year which must be really disappointing for all who work at the center. After the panda reserve the 4 of us took a taxi to visit monastery just outside of chengdu. As we were all starving at this stage we decided to have a bite to eat before we headed in. The first restaurant we went to looked a little up market but we decided what the hell. That was until we spotted a rat running across the floor. we headed to the restaurant next door for a traditional hotpot. We ordered a varying selection of meats and vegetables. To our horror the lady came out with a plate of freshly chopped snake. This was promptly sent back to the kitchen much to the amusement of the staff. The meal was less than satisfying as most of the time we were picking out chicken claws and other parts of animals you would normally put in the bin. The monastery was interesting but I was beginning to feel a little templed out. I headed to the airport after the trip and took my flight to Lijang. I arrived in Lijang at around 10ish. I searched for about an hour for the guest house that Conor had recommended but I couldn’t find it. I settled for guest house in the old town and set out for a walk around the area. The old town was spectacular at night with its cobbled streets and red lanterns. I headed to a local bar for a few drinks and headed back to the hostel for 12.

02/12/2005 I awoke at 10am and climbed down from the top bunk of the sleeper to view the countryside. Field after field of planted crops passed me by. On the side of trackers I saw a group of farmers wrestling with a newly killed pig. The blood was still pouring from the animals neck!. I arrived at 3 and was greeted by an American chap holding a hostel card for Mix backpackers. Being the lazy git that I am I followed him back to the hostel where I booked myself into a double room. I instigated a chat with a girl from Galway in the lobby by the name of Rachel. She had been living in China for 6 months now and was interesting to talk to. After sometime a group of people were gathered around and that chat was flowing. I watched the anchorman before heading down to the offie for a bottle of wine. I met a chap called Conor Tiernan from Wexford who was a good laugh so we chatted about music and the likes. We decided to head out to the panda reserve the next day together. I knew we would be heading out for a few beers so I asked the lady at reception to give me a wake up call. we headed to a really expensive club so none of us bough drinks and we got home before two. I stuffed a rehydration satchel down my neck as I had drank a fair skip at that stage .Sleep came easy!

The day started with an early start. I rushed to grab some food from one of the stalls and boarded the bus bound for the terracotta warriors. To my horror the only seat left was beside a guy fully dressed in Gore windstopper. He looked more like he was on his way to Everest base camp then a simple day trip. The night before I heard him chatting with the hotel manager about a steep peak just outside of Xian. His plan was to hike it in 14 hours straight. the manager tried to warm him that it was really dangerous, to which our rubber clad man replied, in a somewhat arrogant tone, and in a way that most of the hotel could here him "Dangerous, huh, how many people died up there this year" There fs 2 types of travelers I hate, Rambos and crusties. He obviously fell in to the former. I quickly stuck my headphones on and looked out the window to avoid conversation.

Our first stop was as ever the Jade Factory. I got chatting to a couple of antipodean here who seemed like a good laugh and we hung out for the rest of the day. The terracotta warrior were amazing but you got the impression that the Chinese had decades more restoration to do and that several another areas near the site may be investigated. The statement actually shocked me a little until the guide explained that some of the suspected sites were actually under villages! While at the site my breakfast, or it may even have been my luch decided to make a rather rushed appearance. The toilets at the site were a little rustic, to say the least. For a country that invented the flushing toilet the roll out process was taking a little longer than expected. After the trip myself and the antipodean retired to a restaurant and drank a few beers. I left a nine for the train station bound for chengdu and the panda reserve

Conor...

---------------------------------
Play Santa's Celebrity Xmas Party, an exclusive game from Yahoo!