Walking the Streets of Chengdu

We spent the morning on the bullet train and itched to get out for a walk in the afternoon   Our weather has been really nice, and today, the sun was out which brings out the locals. We walked along a really nice river walk…Put more boat traffic on it and we might have been somewhere in Europe…But wait, London, Vienna, and Paris don’t have rivers surrounded by these modern high rises. So it must be the Fu River in Chengdu!!!

I had mentioned to Mrs Bear that I was in need of a haircut…And we came across a local barber who worked out of his scooter on the sidewalk. Hand signals were exchanged and the locals enjoyed watching this foreigner get his hair cut the Chinese way:

After we had recovered from the Panda Sanctuary, we set back out on the local streets of Chengdu. I love these walks. They remind me of Fishermen’s Wharf in SFO… There is nothing better than getting a cup of crabmeat and a sourdough roll, and a walking along the streets to Chinatown. These streets remind me of this…Lots of local food vendors selling their delicacies to passersby. But, I have to admit that the foods are SO different…People here (and in SE Asia) eat almost anything. To prove it, I took some pics of the local foodsellers in Chengdu. Ready???

And here are some of the offerings you see in the pics: Rooster Crowns and Heads; Pig Brain; Glowworms, Octopus; Birdnests; You get the picture.  They did have some regular things, like fruit and stir fried meats. The variety turns these walks into great people-watching experiences. Oh, and did you notice the potato, to keep things from getting too out of hand???

Next, we went to the “People’s Park,” where the locals gather. And the first area we walked through was bunches of older parents who had posted notices about their children… These are parents who are trying to arrange marriages for their 20-something children. I asked our guide what the kids thought of all this, and she replied, “ They don’t like it, but they can’t go against their parent’s wishes.”

There were people playing badminton, there were lots of people frequenting tea houses, and a choir of retired senior women singing to the crowds.

Finally, I’ve included two photos of local women who asked us for our photos. I kind of like the attention, and even Mrs Bear got in on the action.