Our First Trip to China

Hello All,

We are still enjoying our stay in Chongqing...there is so much to see and do in the fourth largest municipality in China. After nearly three weeks we feel as if we have only skimmed the surface. There is alot to like about this corner of the world and we'd like to share with you some of our favorite memories and places that we've visited. We would love to post photos, unfortunately we have exceeded our photo upload quota for the month and we'll have to wait until August before adding new images. Check back later for photo updates to this entry.

1. The Spa at Central Peninsula Hot Springs

We found a SPA!!
And not just any spa...an ultra-cool, "lifestyles of the rich and famous" kinda spa!!
This place was FAB-U-LOUS!!
There are ancient, natural hot springs in Chongqing. The Central Peninsula Hot Springs are located just outside the epicenter of CQ. Apparently it is a new venue that has beautifully landscaped grounds and state of the art exercise, swim and spa amenities. The proprietors built an absolutely palatial garden to showcase the pools of hot springs. Naturally, the hot springs are the main feature of the resort. There are multiple springs, each featuring a particular theme or curative value - - anti-stress, memory improvement, skin softening etc. The temperature of the water is a constant 35C-37C (95.0F-98.6F). The water contains alkali minerals that are considered to have beneficial medicinal properties. There is also a multi-lane water slide that drops into the main hot spring pool, waterfalls, beautiful rock sculptures and gardens, an indoor swimming pool, fitness area and full service spa. I was able to get a 90 minute full body exfoliation, massage and mud-wrap for about 300 yuan (less than 40 US dollars! - - A typical service like that back home would easily run in the $200 to $300 range!)

But the most SPECTACULAR feature of Central Peninsula Hot Springs was the "Fish Pond" (If you're an "Ugly Betty" fan...apparently this concept was featured in one of their episodes). One of the pools is stocked with a particular type of tiny toothless freshwater fish that feed on dead skin!! Guests soak in the pool and the fish surround you and begin to exfoliate your body by feeding on the dead skin on the surface of your body! It is so creepy and yet so incredibly decadent...and I did it...and I loved it! I "fed the fish" big time...although I didn't last very long...it really tickles and I could only stand to have my feet in the pool. Some of the parents and kids went "all in" - - totally submerged!! It was unbelievable!! You had to be there to see the feeding frenzy! Found an article about it in the Washington Post...here you go:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/14/AR2007051400884.html

This place is just incredible and we're so lucky we got to try it out...they wouldn't allow photography however they do have a Chinese language website if you'd like to browse:
http://www.centerhs.com/

2. "Ci Qi Kou - Old Town" (Ceramic Village) Chongqing

Sifu invited us to accompany him to "Old Town" one afternoon. Kinda like the "old-school" version of Grant Avenue in San Francisco's Chinatown...a total tourist trap but with so much more "old world charm." Sifu was going there to visit his grandfather who plays the cymbals in the local "live" production of Chinese Opera. As we pushed through the crowds of tourists we could hear the familiar "chahng-chahng-chahng" of the cymbals and the clickety-clack of the drums - - just like at home when Mom and Dad would play their Chinese Opera "8-tracks" at full blast on the stereo (for you youngsters... 8 tracks were the "mp3s" of our generation - - you kids today can carry your music in your back pockets...well..."back in the day" we carried our music in plastic cartridges in a big suitcase!) The opera was performed "live" on stage in an old stone courtyard. As we walked through the wooden gate to find our seats, all eyes were upon us. We had to be the youngest ones there...the average age of the audience had to be in the 70's to 80's! Chinese Opera is definitely a dying art form...how sad. It's so funny how what I regarded as cacophonous in my youth has become a melodic reminder of a time gone by...the music, the vibrant costumes and the dramatic face makeup was just an awesome sight! Meeting his grandfather and watching the opera was a real treat but the trip also gave us the opportunity to visit the quaint, ancient village of Ci Qi Kou.

Located on the banks of the Jia Ling River, not far from its confluence with the mighty Yangtze, Ci Qi Kou, is also known as the "Porcelain or Ceramic Village". The courtyard also housed an "old timey" kiln used in decades-gone-by for ceramic production. There was a beautiful sculpture in the middle of the courtyard that depicted the story of how materials for the ceramics were brought into the village and how the finished goods were produced and shipped out via the river.

Chongqing is undergoing a massive renaissance as a modern major municipality, although you would never know it as you meander through the streets of Ci Qi Kou. The village seems to capture what Chongqing would have been like in the distant past. In fact, Ci Qi Kou has been recognized by the State Council in 1998 as a "protected cultural site".

The history of Ci Qi Kou can be traced back for more than 1700 years. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911) it was famous for its production of porcelain. To date, over twenty old kiln sites have been discovered there. Its importance to the porcelain industry is reflected in the name Ci Qi Kou which translated means "Porcelain Village". The village was also an important supply post for shipping on the river, which explains why there are so many shops lining the twelve lanes paved with their large flag stones that form the main routes. Walking along "old town" you will find many different types of stores offering kitschy souvenir items, freshly roasted seeds, nuts, snacks, candies and a variety of artisans and craftspeople selling their wares. One of the highlights was a visit to a silk store where we watched two local women pull apart actual cocoons from silkworms to prepare the cocoons for the eventual process of producing the material or fill that is used for the Chinese "see meen" or silk comforters.

The architecture is a sight to see. The majority of the houses date from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, periods during which many masterpieces of Chinese architecture were created. Much of the two and three story construction is of bamboo and timber. Blue bricks and pillars set off the snow-white walls that contrast in turn with vermilion doors and lattice windows. Black tablets and lanterns adorn the gates to complete the authentic and traditional appearance of the properties. The quietly flowing waters of the Jia Ling River pass by the front of the village and has been its lifeblood for as long as anyone can remember. For it was the river that brought goods and people here as well as carrying local products off to customers at home and abroad.

Our visit to China has been a truly cultural experience and our afternoon in Ci Qi Kou was simply magical to be able to see the local residents dedicated to their traditional way of life, unaffected by modern influences to be found in the larger surrounding districts.

3. Great Prices on Stuff - Everything is Negotiable - "Two for Ten...Okay?...Hello!"

Ahhh! The art of the bargain! I'm lousy at it...but there are a few Moms in the group that are "masters" at it. Speaking the language is a must and deal-making is typically not available in the major department stores. Even the kids have been getting some good prices. On the day we went to the Dazu Rock Carvings many of the locals would set up souvenir stands in the entrance area...but the "hard core" locals would stalk us as we walked along the exit path. They all sell the exact same tschotcke items and recite the same sales pitch: "Two for Ten...Okay?...Hello! I think it's the only five words in the English language they know...hysterical!

4. People Breaking into Spontaneous Song and Dance in the Public

In an effort to unite in spirit and to promote camaraderie, men and women in Chongqing like to gather and exercise by coming together and spontaneously start line-dancing in an open setting around town. This has turned out to be a popular street scene in Chongqing. They just bring out the Chinese ghetto-blaster, pop in a CD and there they go...a bunch of random people...shaking their groove things and dancing their little achy-breaky hearts out. And they do it everywhere and anywhere...in public plazas, in front of stores, on the sidewalk...on the streetcorner.

Odd and different but so fun to watch.
I know...I know...it's kind of "fobby" and geeky but totally acceptable in a foreign country and so refreshing to see typically uptight, conservative Chinese people being so free and uninhibited and all.

5. Riding in a Chongqing Taxi is a Near-death Experience Every Single Time

Hence the phrase "Crazy Chinese Drivers"

OMG - - I have never been so frightened to ride in a car in my entire life. It is a white-knuckle-see-my-life-flash-before-me-can someone-call-me-a priest-ride no matter how long or short the distance. CQ taxi drivers typically drive into oncoming traffic, curse at all of the other drivers around them and honk their horns at any and all pedestrians who come within their line of vision.

And they all drive like my Dad! (The "original" crazy Chinese driver)

You know...both hands on top of the steering wheel...leaning all the way forward, nearly pressing his forehead against the windshield...looking dead-ahead...zero peripheral vision..."You no turn your head...you look straight...just keep going...no worry...dey see you!!"

No wonder why people walk everywhere in China!

But what a rush! Surprisingly (and fortunately), although we've had many "near-misses" we have not been involved in any collisions.

6. Massages and Beauty Services are Dirt Cheap

Although I haven't personally tried one...I understand the body massage services are a "slice of heaven" at rock-bottom prices.
I can tell you that typically it is only 10 yuan (less than $1.50 USD) to have your hair shampooed and styled...and the service comes with an awesome neck, shoulder, upper arm and scalp massage...wow...love those magic hands! Can't beat that with a stick!!

7. Dazu Rock Carvings

see entry "Our Trip to Dazu County" for more information...

8. "Metro" - The China version of "Costco"

For those of you who do not know my family...

They've got this thing...
This really weird thing...
About going to Costco.

Yes...Costco.

And not just the occasional "Oh honey we're running low on bread and eggs - - can you stop by Costco and pick up a palette- - weird"...

Bizarre, obsessive, "Costco-Completes-Me" weird...

For as long as I can remember...EVERY family vacation begins and ends with a trip to Costco.
No matter what city...what continent...what time-zone...

I don't really understand it...

It's actually kind of scary and freaks me out...

But I have learned to embrace it and just go with it...

So...staying true to my genetic hard-wiring, my neurotic and Costco-obsessed family will be be proud to know that even though I travelled halfway across the globe for this fabulous cultural exchange experience, I managed to find myself in China's version of our favorite membership-only-wholesale-warehouse-shop-by fork-lift store in Chongqing!!

METRO, (like it's American cousins "Costco" and "Sam's Club") is one of those typical gi-normous stores where you buy food, beverage and other popular consumer goods by the 'fricking butt-load' even though you're a family of three - - because it's just SO cheap and you can't pass up the price. Never mind that it would take you 3 lifetimes to eat five gallons of hot and spicy pickled radishes...how can any self-respecting Chinese person pass it up at 2.5 cents per radish?!?!

I must admit, it was interesting to see what products are popular among the residents of CQ. Hardcore shopper that I am, I did enjoy surveying the different brands available and getting insight on the types of foods and goods that are desired by the region's consumers.

Thankfully, Sifu's brother-in-law drove us there in a very small compact car with a teeny-tiny trunk, so I was prudent and only purchased a case of water.

There! Got my Costco-fix for this trip.

9. Eating at "Pizza Hut" is Considered a "Four-Star" Dining Experience

On our last "free Sunday" in CQ...we met the Chongqing team and travelled by light-rail into downtown Chongqing for the afternoon. We let the CQ team choose the lunch location and PIZZA HUT won by a landslide.

Believe it or not...these kids have never had pizza before!!

I felt bad that their first "pie" had to be from Pizza Hut...but in Chongqing...it's the equivalent of eating in an upscale restaurant. From the outside, it looks like any other ordinary Pizza Hut...same logo...except in Chinese...but once you step inside...WOW!!

Beautiful decor, plush seats, neatly set tables and a real, live hostess to greet you and escort you to your seat! Fancy, multi-page, spiral-bound, full-color menus that you study and then recite your selection to one of three servers at your table...and the diners eat their pizza with a knife and fork...as if it were a finely prepared filet mignon!! Only at Pizza Hut in China can you find fancy beverages and appetizers on the menu along with TIRAMISU for dessert!! So funny! And so very different from the states...we NEVER go to Pizza Hut back home...eating at Pizza Hut is like a step above eating frozen pizza at home. Eww! We're so spoiled with chains like CPK (California Pizza Kitchen), Zachary's, Uno's LaVals and all of the other great one-of-a-kind pizzerias in each of our respective hometown neighborhoods.

I don't think the CQ kids liked it much but they were very polite and ate it anyway...I think the concept of melted, gooey cheese on their food will take some getting used to...but from the looks on their faces...I think they were delighted by the experience!

10. Shopping in Jiefangbei

Jiefangbei, the financial and retail hub located in Downtown Chongqing is a GREAT place for a girl to get some "retail therapy"! An absolute shopper's paradise...Jiefangbei offers something for everyone...high-end "Maison Mode" (the Nieman Marcus of CQ), Xinhua Bookstore (the Borders of CQ), electronics stores, "Ladies Avenue" - an underground mall specializing in goods and fashions that cater to the female persuasion, and many multi-level, ultra-modern shopping malls!!

After our fancy-schmancy Pizza Hut lunch we headed over to The Metropolitan Plaza (Da Du Hui), a glitzy seven-story shopping plaza featuring around 160 high-end shops (Brooks Brothers, Aqua Scutum, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Kenzo, Hugo Boss, Dolce and Gabbana etc.) It also has an incredible food court with various restaurants, from hotpot to Japanese, an ice-skating rink, a cineplex and a bowling alley on the 5th floor. It also houses the Pacific Plaza Department Store (Tai Ping Bai Huo - the "Macy's" of Chonqing) which has a good selection of foreign and local labels from shoes to clothing to kitchenware.

We treated the kids to the arcade and then to a showing of the "Transformers" movie which just opened recently. The kids, both CQ and US, had a great time. It was nice to see that the spirit of childhood and having FUN is universal and crosses all cultural and age barriers...it's amazing how much pure joy a handful of arcade tokens and a movie ticket can bring to a young person's heart.

A great time was had by all.

It's starting to get sad...just when you get comfortable with a new place and new people...it's time to leave...our time in Chongqing is coming to a close.

We know there are many more undiscovered gems about this place...but the ten highlights that we shared above will stay imprinted in our minds and in our hearts forever.

Blog to you later...DDubbs