China: Day Eleven - Xichang to Chengdu

Our day in "the city where Spring stays" was very nice even if it was only until noon. Unfortunately, it was not nice for everyone. Joel, Tim and Nate were all very sick.

The dining room at the hotel was so pretty and bright.

It also had a nice view of the blue sky

After breakfast, Chrissy and I went out to explore a bit and do some shopping.

the rocks in the river were so red

the dancers in the square were all grouped on the edge in the shade

We ran into Dorothy while we were near the square. She had bought Minion watches for her nephews as a souvenir. 

I was able to get 2 pairs of pants, one dress and one shirt for about $45. 

the cashier sits on these tall ladders and watched the store 

The security in Chinese airports is thorough. Between the 4 security checks and having to take a bus out to the tarmac, we were a bit late taking off. But we were starting to get used to it...

The flight was short (only 1 hour 15 minutes) but we still got sandwiches for a light lunch. Not good sandwiches, but it was something...

Once again, our taxi experience in Chengdu was not pleasant... It was quite obvious that our driver did not want to take us. Apparently he had been waiting at the airport for 3 hours and was hoping for a much longer ride than the 20 minutes to our hotel. He was also not interested in looking at the address of  our destination. When Joel and Liz passed us in their taxi, he took off after them; speeding and weaving through traffic to keep up. He tried to drop us off with them at their apartment but we insisted he take us to our hotel. He was not happy. We decided to spend more money and hire a driver to take us to the airport on Monday.

The desk clerk had a bit of trouble figuring out our new room reservation but thankfully he was able to call Liz and talk to her on the phone and use his English translation app. I was understandably relieved to find that my bag was still in the back room waiting for me.

After we got settled in the rooms a bit, we met up with Liz and went to get foot massages for Chrissy and Sue while Liz and I talked. Chrissy's masseuse was a young man who was both deaf and dumb.

After the massages, we had a light noodle supper at a Muslim restaurant. The noodles were made right there in front of us and were so delicious!

Liz arranged for us to go and see the Sichuan Cultural Show after dinner.

And I finally got to take a picture of the boat building...

Our driver came and picked us up and even bought our tickets while we looked around...

items in the opera museum

Before long it was time to head to the opera house...

The auditorium was lit by red lanterns and cooled by giant fans given to each audience member. We also got a cup of tea.

There were also activities to look at and try once we were inside...

opera face painting

puppets

We knew it was time for the show to begin when the reader board said, "Please be seated. The show will be starting at eight later." No idea what that meant but we got the general idea... :) 

Shortly after the show started, my camera died. :(  

I loved that the show was such a interesting mix of music, drama, opera, puppet shows and face-changing. But I am so disappointed I didn't get more pictures or any movies of it. 

When we got back to the hotel we picked up a couple of tea drinks and ice cream at the shop next door. Good end to a good day.