jessica j: Day 5: Chongqing

05.15.08

Day 5 - Chongqing - China's biggest city

I keep talking in my sleep and seeing as my mom sleeps no more than one to two hour increments throughout the night, she's getting annoyed at me and warned that if I sleep-talked again she'd deprive me of food.

we just had breakfast at the hotel here and she's trying to take a nap while I flip between American/Chinese MTV music videos and the news about the earthquake.

Salted duck egg in congee! YOM!
The window is open and we're right next to an elementary school or something so there are kids running around and talking really loudly.

the short video they run between news breaks about the earthquake is set to the theme song of Gladiator. (first minute) according to my mom, they always pick this kind of song to ignite unity.

figured out that i can post to blogger, but i can't actually see the posts after i've written them. arg.

Jia Ling River on a cloudy day.

Butt cheeks!
"What if the kid pees on you?" "It happens."
This picture is dedicated to Ryan.

Chongqing Liberation Monument (Jie Fang Bei)
Liberation from poverty into Communism.

They were setting up a stage for a donation gathering to be held later on that day. We hung out in the town circle for a while. It hadn't started after an hour, so we left.

(This was going on at the same time as the hospital nearby hosting its own collection which was soon stopped by the police.)

Walking around...

Blood donation line for the earthquake disaster relief.

Dude making noodles.

Various fried pancakes. (I currently have two fever blisters in my mouth from all this fried food. No matter, bring it on!)

Man collecting recyclables.

This photo is dedicated to Yuri, who loves old men with their shirts up.

Duck, Duck, and more Duck!

People eating spicy, spicy noodles.

Lunch!

Water Spinach (Kong Xing Cai) & Spicy Wonton (Hong You Chao Shou) & endless bounties of white rice. 12 RMB.

YOM!

Pi Pa (Loquat) & Cherries.
For reals. We're eating so many loquats while we're in the Sichuan region. WAHH SO GOOD and something I've never had, and probably won't ever have, while in the States. 8-10 RMB/jing.

SAWEET!

View from my hotel.

Dinner!

Beef with small peppers.
We also had squash soup and a type of fish.

I seriously sweat MOUNDS after every meal. Either it's because I eat feverishly or because it's so hot. I say both.

Man working (up the street from our hotel).

Walked about a mile to Pi Pa Mountain and then up the mountain. It's a winding uphill road and there were quite a few people exercising there when we went around 8 PM. Waiting for us at the top? Sweaty, half-naked men. Soldiers were practicing their fighting moves.