Chengdu

Last week I went down to Chengdu, in the Sichuan province where the earthquake was in 2008. I stayed with the Monger family who were incredibly hospitable hosts which reflects well on their Southern roots. I really enjoyed my stay in Chengdu, especially since it was the first time I have traveled to and from a different province in China by myself. Sichuan's culinary reputation did not live up to what I had previously heard, however the other things it is known for exceeded expectations. We went to go see the pandas at a large "nature reserve" as well as visiting a remarkably quaint art market.