Chengdu, Sichuan province

The overnight train drops us in another "average-sized" Chinese city, this one a little less affected by the Cultural Revolution. We are staying near the Tibet quarter which is really just an area where there is a concentration of Tibetans. They are dressed in traditional garb - men in red and orange robes, women in black skirts and turquoise and purple blouses. Their faces are distinctively different from the Han Chinese. We have a free day so I head to Jinli Street, an area filled with food vendors, souvenir shops and many young Chinese tourists, couples holding hands and eating exotic foods on a stick. Jinli Street also contains the most beautiful Starbucks I've ever seen - the back yard patio is filled with plants and chinese sculptures and comfortable wooden furniture. I sample some of the local fare - my vegetarian noodles, covered with chili pepper are too spicey, the tofu on a stick, dipped in vinegar and sprinkled with sugar is good. Some Chinese girls get me to try rice with beans cooked in a corn husk. It has some strange meat in it. I tell them it is good and then discretely toss it. I'm approached by a young lady with a microphone and her camera man. She asks me in broken English what I think of Sichuan food, then has me repeat something in Chinese for the camera. It turns out I'm saying "watch channel 24 news at 9."

Later, I head to a local park, filled with activity. There is a peaceful bonsai tree garden, a loud children's ride park, a group gathering around karaoke opera performance, couples dancing, old men smoking and playing chinese checkers. Here I encounter signs in English that say "Give the little grass the right of way," "Do not pool in Lake Salvage small animals" and "Visitors to leave the sidewalk." I also check out a local antiques market. The stalls are small and many merchants display their wares on blankets under umbrellas. I doubt anything they are selling is genuine.

At night, Nigel takes us to a Sichuan hot pot restaurant. Various meats, seafoods and vegetables are cooked in boiling broths, spicey and mild. You remove the items, dip them in oil and eat. Our clothes smell afterwards. We are all looking forward to our 4-day road trip around the Tibetan grassland fringe.