Chongqing

Last weekend, Bruce and I went to Chongqing. I stopped there briefly in September on my way to Chengdu, but did not get the chance to explore the city. There was so much to do and so little time.
We arrived in Chongqing by train on Friday afternoon. I scored big on finding the perfect hotel. We stayed in a four-star hotel for 29 US dollars a night. I love how cheap China can be!! Anyway, hotpot originated in Chongqing, so everywhere we went we were surrounded by this famous Sichuan cuisine. The first day I was feeling a little sick, so we avoided it. I actually felt sicker the second day (and I've gotten progressively more congested and icky), so we never ended up eating it. Needless to say, I am not even the least bit heartbroken for not eating food cooked in a pot of boiling oil and spicy peppers. I found the MOST AMAZING STARBUCKS I HAVE EVER SEEN! The place was 3 stories and super plush. This Seattle girl was very impressed, indeed. The next day we walked across a bridge that went over the Yangtze River. One the other side we found this amusement park where I had an artist draw a portrait of me. It didn't look like me at all. I think he made my neck too long and I looked Russian or something... That night, we went on a 2 hour river cruise to check out the fantastic city skyline reflected on the river. We met a cool American couple who took way better pictures than me. Also, I don't know why, but I have noticed a trend of old Chinese men wanting to take pictures with young American girls. I shudder to think where my face is somewhere, unbeknown to me, floating around in cyberspace. I impressed the Americans by ordering the man a beer and asking where the bathroom is... I know. My skills astound me too ;)
When we got back to the hotel, we went to the bar/nightclub/karaoke on the 8th floor. The owner came up to us and asked where I was from. She offered me and Bruce free beers on the house, so I suffered through a Budweiser. I washed it down with a coffee liquor on the the rocks. I forgot my money in my other pants, so it was embarrassing to have to make Bruce go get my money :( Oh well...
We left Sunday morning, feeling a little sick, but glad that we went on the trip and happy to have met some interesting people as always.