September 11 (Friday) – Chengdu

More Commentary on Driving
Today we ran into total gridlock on the way out of town on the way to the airport. We were at an intersection that was totally blocked and couldn’t move forward or backward. Apparently there was an accident at the gate on the road we were trying to get on, backing up traffic. Since there is no concept of ensuring one can clear the intersection before entering, gridlock occurs. Eventually a bus was able to back up enough that we squeezed through and went through another gate out of town.
Comments on Flying in China:
Flying is interesting in China. People often keep trying to get through the boarding gate even when it was obvious that they aren’t boarding. In Xian there was a mob once boarding started with everyone rushing to the gate. Upon landing, as soon as the plane came to a stop on the active runway you could hear half the seatbelts click open and people started standing to get luggage from the overhead storage. The flight attendants then came through and made everyone take their seats. Same thing happened when we landed in Xian a few days earlier and this happened a couple of other times as well.

Chengdu
Our first stop was the Dujiangyan Irrigation system, constructed 2300 years ago during the reign of the first emperor. They dug a new canal near the river to divert flood water. It was a pretty stretch of river although, again, hazy. The surrounding area was badly damaged by the 2008 earthquake and some overlooks were closed.













The dinner meal was the most interesting yet. One dish was sweet potatoes shaped in ball with rice in the middle and drizzled with some sort of sauce. There were also corn cakes with no discernable “stuff” to hold the corn kernels together but they were certainly stuck together. The bamboo shoots were stuffed with something but were very tough. Presentation of the entire meal was extraordinary. We are sure to gain weight, as the food is delicious, and there is always 3 or 4 times the amount that we can eat.