Loose Noodles In Chengdu

After we got back from the day with pandas, we had a couple of hours free.  I was too charged up to just hang at the hotel, so I checked Trip Advisor and found that Wenshu Buddhist Temple was just over one mile from our hotel.  

It was 3:45 pm.  We did not have a ton of time before meeting the group for dinner at 6 pm in the hotel lobby, so rather than walk the 1.3 miles in an estimated 30 minutes (phone GPS), I decided to take a cab.  

Carol did not want to take chances.  I had to plead and wheedle with her to come.  She finally assented, although I was going to take a massive fall if anything went wrong.  We grabbed what are called "taxi cards" from the hotel.  Taxi cards are in English and, more importantly Chinese.  More on them at the end of this post.

The cab took 15 minutes to get through the traffic, even though Chengdu is a city of around just 8 million people.  The neighborhood around Wenshu Temple is like an Old Town in a city – smaller buildings, shops, very interesting. 

The cab ride was only 12 yuan – just under $2.00.  Carol seemed to be more optimistic as we passed through the old town and could look through the gates into the temple. 

We only saw one other westerner in the temple the whole time we were there.  The place is huge, with many Buddhas (see photos below), five halls and courtyards, a huge garden, the Peace Temple, and many other sights that you don’t see in the West.

Originally built around 600 AD, the first complex was destroyed by fire in the late 1600s, before being rebuilt starting in 1681 during the Qing dynasty.

It was a very cool way to spend 45 minutes.  Afterwards, we walked out to the front gate.  One cabbie was sleeping in his car.  Another waved us off – shift change happens at 5 pm according to Andrew, so that’s probably why.  Finally, I showed the third, and last cabbie the taxi card.  He looked at both sides, and then vigorously nodded “yes.”  We zipped back to the hotel.

Carol had time for a shower, and I did some blogging.  We were still down in time to catch the bus for our special hot pot meal.  We have not done hot pot before, unless you count fondue at The Melting Pot, or the Austrian place in Vail, Colorado.  So, no.  Not Chinese hot pot.

They brought out piles of meats, fishes, and vegetables for us to put into our own individual hot pots.  Luckily, we sat near Andrew, so he was able to advise us on cooking times for the various foods.  Some, such as meatballs and mushrooms, took 20 minutes to cook.  Other slices meats took 30 seconds, while vegetables took 3-5 minutes.  Other than massive back pain caused by a bad hotel chair in our room, and a similarly poorly designed chair in the restaurant, I really enjoyed myself.

Hot pot is great fun, and I’ve already scoped out some hot pot restaurants to go back home to in Falls Church and Washington DC.  Let me know if you want to join us!

(The blog post title refers to a meme used by our guide Leo.  When we need to stay together, especially in busy areas, he says we need to be sticky rice, not loose noodles.  It's become a running joke, and a good reminder at the same time.)