December 2019

​Chengdu is quite different to Shanghai and I did wonder how I would find moving here to live in the Sichuan capital city after spending four wonderful years in Shanghai. But I have to say I am starting to enjoy the less frenetic pace of the bigger city as well as the different food, and many other things that distinguish Chengdu from Shanghai.

So 14 days into my new Chengdu life I find I am experiencing something totally different. There is so much to like here too. The locals so far are warm and will happily respond if you make the time to stop and chat to them as you wander by, the food is spicy and yummy, new shopping centres to look around, streets to walk, new coffee shops to find and cultural places I have researched but have yet to visit. I know there will be visitors coming to stay soon so I will need to be tour-guide match fit by about April and while the winter season doesn't help, there are many winter based activities or places to see until the warmer weather arrives in Spring.

Winter has arrived but Autumn leaves are still here... which means Christmas is here! Cute Santa Pandas from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and trees from Ritz Carlton plus a polar bear theme this year at the Shangri-La Hotel. Maybe they ran out of Pandas.

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Wandering around Chengdu. That's the Chinese Premier and South Korean President heading southward lower left. Plus I struck a stunning cloud formation being caught by lovely light late afternoon.

Hard way to make a dollar...

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Temple House Hotel at Tai Koo Li 太古里 - stunning shiny gold Panda in the foyer of the old original house that is the hotel reception. Old meets new. Plus an impressive hotel staircase and a charming teahouse next door.

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Sichuan food... always lots of Chilli - mostly dried colourful red chilis and Sichuan pepper to give that numbing sensation that the area is known for. Thee are some classic dishes I'll need to revisit now that I am here like Mapu doufu or beef sliced in chilli oil -cooked almost like a confit style dish in many ways. The lovely chicken dish below is served chilled with the cool chicken having a soothing effect with the warm heat of the dried chilli oil and numbing of the Sichuan pepper. One of my favourites when done properly.