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True Love in Chengdu

Copyright © Peter Snow Cao, 1999.

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Critical Mass Everyday in Chengdu

Chengdu
Wow! How quickly things can change. I am suddenly in a different world. Flat land to the horizon, large-scale irrigation systems, cycle rickshaws, trucks with trailers, wide paved roads, and bicyclists EVERYWHERE! I feel a little like I am jet-lagged. Or like a country bumpkin thrown into the big city.

I have met Ingrid here and we checked into the infamous Black Coffee Hotel. It is a converted bomb shelter. What a joint! The walls and ceilings are all one curved section and it forms a maze with hotel rooms, a bar, karoke, and a restaurant. It is dark and dank, but dirt cheap.

"TRAVELER’S TEN COMMANDMENTS
  1. Thou shalt not expect to find things as thou hast them at home, for thou hast left thy home to find things different.
  2. Thou shalt not take anything too seriously, for a carefree mind is the beginning of a vacation.
  3. Thou shalt not let the other tourist get on thy nerves, for thou art paying good money to have a good time.
  4. Remember thy passport so that thou knowest where it is at all times, for a man without a passport is a man without a country.
  5. Blessed is the person who can make change in language, for lo, he shall not be cheated.
  6. Blessed is the person who can say "thank you" in any language, and it shall be worth more to him than tips.
  7. Thou shalt not worry. He that worrieth hath no pleasure, and few things are ever fatal.
  8. Thou shalt not judge the people of a country by one person with whom thou hast had trouble.
  9. When in Rome do as the Romans do; if in difficulty; use thy American common sense and friendliness.
  10. Remember thou art a guest in every land, and he that treateth his host with respect shall be treated as an honored guest."

Posted at the US Consulate in Chengdu

 

"Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do!
I’m half crazy, all for the love of you!
It won’t be a stylish marriage,
I can’t afford a carriage,
But you’ll look sweet up the seat
Of a bicycle built for two!"

"Daisy Bell" 1892, Harvey Dacre

(I will spare you the details rather than give you a blow-by-blow account of our love affair over the next six months. Perhaps in another episode. Suffice it to say that it was true love at first sight. We got married and moved to San Francisco. We have since returned to China. I am operating a bike tour business called Bike China Adventures and my wife will continue her study of piano and assist me occasionally on the tours.)

THE END

Skip to:   Travelogue Index | Introduction | On the Road Again | Pakistan | Roasting in Islamabad | Monsoon Washout | Breakup in Gilgit | Khunjerab Pass | Kashgar | Urumqi | Lanzhou in September | Labrang Monastery | Zoige, Sichuan | Farmhouse Family | True Love in Chengdu


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