chongqing

On Saturday, September 11th, we leave Guilin for Chongqing located in a combined area
called Sichuan and the Tibetan Plateau.

Sichuan is best known for their spicy food. We are told to expect this to be different than the
Mandarin food in Beijing and the Cantonese food in Guilin.

Chongqing, once a city in the Sichuan Province, is now its own "municipality". China has
22 provinces, 4 municipalities, and 5 autonomous regions. (The other three municipalities are
Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin). The municipality of Chongqing has over 30 million
people.

Travers was found in Yunyang county in Chongqing. Because the orphanage is over 5
hours from our hotel, we will not get a chance to see where or how Travers has been cared for.
Instead the director and a caregiver will drive Travers from Yunyang to the hotel the
morning of Sunday, Sept. 12th.

This page is only about Chongqing! A separate page is dedicated to SEptember 12th, the day
we received Travers.

We approach Chongqing by crossing a large bridge over the Yagtze River. Only days ago, we heard on BBC that Chongqing was flooded from days of rain. The BBC reported that 175
people died in the worst flooding in 100 years. Our agency called us to reassure us that part of the Yangtze that flooded was hours away from the actual city of Chongqing. We were
obviously relieved. I cannot take a picture that accurately reflects what we are seeing; I've traveled many places around the world, and I am quite sure that there is no place comparable to this
in the world.

There is one immediate distinction of this city. There are no bikes!!!! The city is hilly like San Francisco and bikes are not used.

Our hotel is rated a 5 star by China. The same was true in Beijing and Guilin. Foreign tourists are not allowed to stay in the cheapest hotels (1 and 2 star) because the government wants to
steer foreign wealth into the Chinese economy. Although Steve, Heather and I packed light, Jean and Ann's bags and their recent purchases make the porters work hard. By the end of this, I'm
not sure how it will all get home.

Steve, Heather and I decide to go down to the street. Every city we visit, the Chinese people fill the streets. The streets sides are lined with small vendors. But there are also massive
shopping centers that carry everything we buy in the U.S. (afterall, it seems almost everything is made here in China). All the shops close between 9 and 10 P.M. It is Saturday,
and people are shopping, eating, and watching entertainment. Children are playing everywhere around us. We have yet to see a child crying or being scolded. There are no
strollers as the parents or grandparents hold them and cater to them constantly; you will often see them sleeping in their parent's arms as they walk around. IT is obvious that
children's repsect for their parents is mutual. Look closely, see if you can find Heather in the crowd.

It feels like the only white faces in Chongqing other than ours are of all of the mannequins in the stores. Unlike Beijing and Guilin, there are very few tourists here. Even the
Japanese, who are the #1 tourists to China, stay out of Chongqing. There is a history museum here that reminds the Chinese people of the Japanese occupation of China and their
aggression against them. Apparently, the Japanese are not very welcome here.

After dinner we go back out. Our translator says that the Chinese believe that after every meal, if you walk 100 meters, you will live 100 years. We walk back to a square near
our hotel. It is even more crowded than the afternoon. This time we are catching many people's attention. They start to follow us around. When we turn on our digital camcorder,
a dozen men surround Heather to see the image on the LCD monitor. They are more intrigued with that than the actual show she is filming. After awhile, there is enough
attention surrounding us and our digital cameras that Heather's father notices several Chinese policemen arrive to see what the commotion is about.

We return to our luxury hotel early. Heather and her mother go to the Spa to get a pedicure (or at least they tried- it was difficult due to the fact that no one in the spa spoke English). I jump on the internet on my
laptop to make postings to our website. A weeks worth of dirty laundry has been returned, folded and individually packed in clear plastic shirt bags. After what I've seen this week, It make me ponder how
Communism and capitalism are coexisting in this country with over 1/5 of the world's population. Some things are clearly working, but many still need improvements.

I decide to make a call home to my parents using VOIP (voice over internet protocol), a new technology widely used here, but barely heard of by most U.S. citizens. I find out that my 80 year old father is in the
hospital after emergency surgery to implant dialysis equipment to allow for home treatments. The night that I am suppose to be the happiest ever, turns out to be very sad. Tomorrow my sister Mimi arrives from the
U.S. and we get Travers sometime in the afternoon. All I can think of is getting Travers home to meet his grandfather as soon as possible.

Everyday we get a little stir crazy sitting in our room. Because Travers is acclimating so well to us, we find time to walk
around Chongqing, staying within reasonable walking distance to the JW Marriott. In one direction, there are massive
department stores, huge grocery stores, nice restaurants, and Western fast food chains, There are nicely dressed people everywhere.
Even on this side of our hotel we are watched by everyone; especially with Travers slung on Heathers side. Heather's parents buy
Travers some squeaky shoes in a department store.

One very common scene in Chongqing, not seen in Beijing or Guilin, are the stick and rope men. You will see them everywhere;
they are known as Chongqing's army. They will carry anything and everything for a few dollars. When they are not carrying
something, they are usually sleeping or gambling.

On Wednesday, Heather, Travers and I have the day to ourselves. Grandpa and Grandma our touring Dazu, and Mimi and
Steve are in Leshan and Cheng Du.

When we go for our daily walk today, we go a different direction from our hotel. I think here we discovered the real Chongqing.
Heather and I walk down some steps into a market full of vendors covered in blue tarps.

What we saw is not for the faint of heart. Other than the normal fresh fruit and grain vendors, we walked by several vendors
with live chicken, rabbits and ducks. Nearby were piles of feathers covered in blood. People are eating... I don't know what. The
most amazing site was the dentist's table with two patient chairs. Fortunately we both went to our dentist before getting here.
Near the end of the market was a pharmacy. The pharmacist had all of her dried herbs and animal parts displays in large bowls.

Once again we are the center of attention with Travers.