Copyright? What the heck is that? 01/06/2011
Introducing the Hyatt... Oh, I'm sorry, I meant the “Haiyatt” Hotel in Chengdu!  Even the Chinese name is pretty close: "Haiyue" instead of "Kaiyue"! 7 Comments One of my greatest pleasures in life is studying foreign languages. Spending time in Sichuan has given me the opportunity to be surrounded by people speaking Sichuanese (the dialect spoken by the people of Sichuan). I love their accent, how they get their "N"s and "L"s all mixed up, and their elongated vowels at the end of each sentence. I know I sound like a fool when I do it but I love speaking Sichuanese! So yesterday I asked my friend MuRong to help me find a Sichuanese textbook so that I could study the basics of the dialect. You can imagine my surprise when we couldn't find any such book after going to all the major bookstores in town! Imagine a place with a population of 89 million people without a book to learn their language! And I'm not talking about a book for foreigners, I'm talking about a book in Mandarin! All the sales people told me the same thing; go find more Sichuanese friends and you can learn directly from them! :) Deyang and the Pace of Life in Sichuan 01/03/2011
 “The people of Sichuan really know how to enjoy life" a friend of mine told me yesterday. And I'm starting to enjoy it too. Mind you, our definition of enjoyment is quite different but I'm starting to feel the difference in the pace of life between here and Shanghai. I don't really feel the pressures of making money here. In Shanghai, it's I'm not working or improving my Chinese, I feel kind of guilty. That's not always a bad thing for a lazy ass like me, but I kinda like that it's okay to sleep all day long and really take it easy here (like a panda I guess). I did learn how to swear in Sichuanese: "Ma mai pi!" Can you guess the meaning? I spent a couple of days in Deyang and it wasn't bad. The best 3 star hotel I've had in my life for 200 (US$30.35) and I almost stayed just for that. I also went to the Zhong Pagoda which had a great view of the city. And even though I'd only been in Sichuan for a few days my new friend MuRong from Chengdu made a surprise visit since he was visiting his mother (his hometown is Deyang). I had some good "Zhou1"(粥) Sunday night which pretty much looks like rice mixed up in slime but it's hot and I was freezing so I took it all in. I had a good meal the next day too and realized that Sichuanese food is more than just spicy stuff. I was heading for Mianzhu (绵竹) to see a city affected by the 2008 earthquake that left tens of thousands dead. I had to change my plans so I'll go to Wenchuan (汶川) instead which was the epicenter. It was kind of creepy the fact that my room number was 512 in Deyang (the earthquake happened on May, 12th).  Let the Bullets Fly, Sichuan style! 01/01/2011
 I went to see my first film dubbed in Sichuanese (Sichuan dialect) last night! Gotta admit the special effects kinda suck but it was funny as hell! Thanks to my friend MuRong who taught me some simple Sichuanese phrases ("I know" is "Xiao dei" or "Do you have this?" is "You mo dei") I got very excited when I could understand! Needless to say I was the only white guy in the audience, probably the only non-Sichuanese too! Thank God for Mandarin subtitles or I wouldn't have understood squat! I'm finally in Chengdu! 12/31/2010
Yes, I've finally made it. After having cancelled 2 trips here, and after talking about going to Sichuan for the past 4 years, I'm finally in the land of spicy! I'm including a map for those of you who don't know where Chengdu is: The biggest surprise? How cosmopolitan Chengdu is! It's like a little Shanghai, except cheaper. Western restaurants are pretty much the same all over China but here's what kind of hotel 148 yuan (US$22.46) can get you a night:  Grant it, it's not the Ritz! But this charming little room is surprising quiet (minus the neighbors screaming right outside the door for no apparent reason).  The sheets are clean and I can't feel the springs in the matress so I ain't complainin! :P  Recently renovated bathroom with: -Fresh towels every day -Hot water -Good water pressure -Toothbrush, soap and shampoo I'm sure I'll find something to complain about later but for now, Chendu is great!!! |
RSS Feed