So Long Chengdu

My very last night shot from inside our fantastic hotel in Chengdu. Well, fantastic in our opinion but strangely empty so I hope it keeps going. The Chinese tourist’s desire for modern and derision (too strong maybe, apathy perhaps?) for traditional might mean its coat’s on a shoogly peg but I hope not.
We spent most of the day in the Eastern Suburb Memory, an old industrial area that’s been repurposed, supposedly as a trendy, arts and design district but really it’s become a modern retail and food outlet zone. Can’t complain though as I had the best Belgian chocolate gelato of all time there!
Back to the hotel to rest up and we decided to stay local for dinner, just around the corner to a music bar/restaurant. Well the place was pretty good, the service good, the beer excellent, the music a bit dodgy but that’s fine .. however the food was gash. Pork & vegetables turned out to be pork and green chillies (yeah, I know a chilli is a veg but come on!), the braised duck was all the duck bits that you’re too scared to eat and everything was swamped in oil. The rice was fine and did it’s best to soak up the oil. But bizarrely, I really enjoyed the place and that’s the main thing!
Off North again to Songpan tomorrow on another adventure.