A brief view of the Himalayas - A return to Mainland China - hennaonthetrek

One aspect I cherish most about Asia, besides the people and landscapes, is the abundance of tuk tuks and rickshaws. Where I'm from, they wouldn't be practical at all. But here, who needs to walk home with blisters (not me, but Toni with his new crocs)? No problem, a tuk tuk pulls up right next to you. Need to find a mall? No issue, a rickshaw stops right beside you (in India, we had an amazing day exploring, thanks to stopping to chat with our driver). Or if you need a ride to the airport? No worries, tuk tuks are everywhere. Tomorrow, we're walking to the airport since our hotel is just across the street, but for now, I'm enjoying watching all the traffic. You can see my large windows in the photo below. It’s quite appropriate because my story will take us back to mainland China and Chengdu, the panda capital of the world, and a picture of one can be seen on a billboard in the photo. My view today. Our flight from Lhasa to Chengdu was smooth, and I think both of us felt a bit relieved to be at lower altitudes again. At the airport, we were welcomed by the lovely Casey, one of the best tour guides we've ever had. It could be partly because we clicked instantly and enjoyed easy conversation the entire time we were there. She was also an excellent guide who knew her stuff, so it wasn't just the great discussions we had. Initially, I hadn’t planned to return to mainland China after Tibet, but since there were no direct flights between Lhasa and Kathmandu, it made sense to spend a couple of nights here since we needed to fly anyway. I'm very glad we did! The first night, we didn't have any set plans, so we decided to take a walk. I had read about a tea place in People’s Park and wanted to check it out. In true Chinese fashion, the park was packed, so we didn’t order any tea. I should have realized that my image of the park was somewhat outdated. I had envisioned a tranquil tea shop by the lake with tables for people playing Mahjong. However, it was anything but quiet and relaxing; there were people everywhere, and no Mahjong tiles in sight. I wasn't disappointed, though, maybe just a little let down by my own preconceptions. I know better than to base my expectations on history books that are decades old. It looked serene, but photos can be misleading. The teahouse was crowded. We wandered around the park and saw people playing card games, some kicking a huge shuttlecock around, boats on the lake, and vendors selling everything from souvenirs to food and snacks. We tried some meat skewers, which were good, and some delicious fried dough treats! On our way back to the hotel, we met a lovely lady out with her family, who wanted to chat to practice her and her children's English. They invited us to join them at a mall they were headed to, but we decided to call it a night. On our only full day in Chengdu, Casey was going to show us what Chengdu is famous for: the Giant Pandas at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, or more commonly known as The Panda Base. Along with tourism, the Panda Base focuses on the study and well-being of these quirky animals. And quirky they are! Have you ever seen videos of baby pandas and their caretakers? Imagine that fluffy little goofball trying to climb a tree while struggling to stay upright on flat ground. Or clinging to their caregiver's leg while the human tries to tidy up after them. They really make their humans work hard to keep them safe! Did you know that baby pandas have the same caregiver for their entire life? Talk about commitment! There’s so much to see in the area. The space is so expansive that they have little buses to transport people around. Besides giant pandas, there are also red pandas, but the baby pandas were by far my favorite! After the Panda Base, Casey took us to Chunxi Road for some shopping. Following an unsuccessful attempt to find me a new jacket (the zippers are starting to fail), we enjoyed coffee, and I tried those berry skewers I’ve seen all over China. I couldn’t choose just one, so I got both strawberry and grape, and the vendor kindly offered me a blueberry one to try for free! The berries were glazed with sugar, making them quite sweet but tasty. I liked the strawberry one the best! Next up was Wuhou Temple, and although I'm repeating myself, I really enjoyed wandering around there. It’s a historical site honoring Shu Han Emperor Liu Bei and strategist Zhuge Liang from the Three Kingdoms period. Zhuge Liang is said to have won several battles using his intellect (did he win? I'm struggling with my English here; I hope you understand what I'm trying to