2023 - China (Part 4 - Emei Shan and Chengdu) - Glynn's travel journal

      A very wet mountain and a heavily crowded panda sanctuary.

      **Tuesday, July 25, 2023 - Saturday, July 29, 2023**

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      *2023 China*

      *on nzhamsta's travel map.*

      **Tuesday, July 25**

      A travel day from Yangshuo to Emei Shan. We first took train number D1762 from what's known as "Yangshuo Station," even though it is approximately 25 km from the city. The ride was very scenic, featuring countless bridges, viaducts, and tunnels. It seemed like they simply took a map, drew a straight line with a ruler, and said, "Build this." Five and a half hours later, we arrived in Leshan and switched to the C6312 for a short journey to Emei. We encountered a bit of an issue as we needed to purchase an extension to our tickets, and their system did not accept my passport initially. However, we managed to sort it out eventually. Our train D1762 from Yangshuo was quite comfortable. The Holiday Inn was cozy and located directly across from the main entrance to the mountain.

      **Wednesday, July 26**

      After an early start, we took a bus up the mountain. It rained heavily throughout the day, making it less enjoyable, which is why there aren’t many pictures. We traveled for about 90 minutes until we reached the cable car. From the top station, we joined the crowds on the very wet ascent up the stairs, passing numerous shops selling plastic ponchos, overshoes, and umbrellas. The summit, known as The Golden Summit, features a large golden temple at the top. I had anticipated fantastic views, but since we were surrounded by clouds, we couldn't see anything. It was so rainy that even the monkeys didn’t come out to scrounge for food; we didn’t spot a single one during our time on the mountain. Overall, the day was disappointing—although the weather was beyond our control. I can imagine that, on a clear day, it would be teeming with tourists. By 2 PM, we were back at the hotel, limited in what we could do due to the persistent rain.

      **Thursday, July 27**

      The train from Emei Shan to Chengdu was punctual. We encountered a random river and city. The hotel was modern yet designed in an old style. After checking in, we enjoyed a large lunch. The gate at the end of the street led us to our hotel in Chengdu, where we explored the local area. Post-lunch, we took a stroll towards Tianfu Square, which features a massive statue of Chairman Mao and was bustling with security; I later found out that preparations were underway for a significant sporting event in Chengdu. We visited Tianfu Square in Chengdu, enjoyed some coffee, and wandered around a large modern shopping mall. It wasn’t very exciting, so I returned to the hotel, letting Hung and her niece and grandniece continue shopping.

      **Friday, July 28**

      Once again, we had an early start to visit the panda breeding center. By 7:45 AM, it was already quite busy, hot, and humid. While waiting in line, we noticed a sign in English regarding tickets. It stated that tickets should be purchased online and tied to a passport or ID card to allow the Chinese Government to know you visited the panda facility on a specific date. Since we hadn’t done that, we inquired about where to buy tickets. 1. A security guard redirected us from the queue to a desk. 2. The desk sent us to the ticket scanning booth. 3. The supervisor at the booth took us into the park and into the administration office. We presented the only two forms of ID we had, a New Zealand driver's license and a Hong Kong ID card. This caused significant confusion, and they struggled to link the tickets to our IDs. Eventually, they gave up and waved us in without tickets. The place was packed, and barriers were erected along the pathways to manage the throngs of people seeking the perfect social media photo (probably not for Instagram). Groups were allowed in for five to ten minutes to snap their pictures before being ushered out along the path. We managed to see a few pandas over the heads of the crowd. A highlight was a charming, tranquil café near the red panda enclosure. The remainder of the day was spent at the hotel due to the oppressive heat. I ventured out briefly for ice cream but found it unbearable. We had dinner at the hotel, which was decent but slightly overpriced for what it was.

      **Saturday, July 29**

      We had another early start to head to the airport. This was the new Chengdu airport, Tianfu International (TFU). As usual, we arrived too early, but there was time for breakfast and coffee. Hung flew

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