Location: Chongqing & Beijing, China
Sumamry: A rain‑soaked city tour, a temple visit, unexpected celebrity status, Blue Mountain coffee, and the long journey home.
I woke up early and had a cup of tea around 06:30 in the Yangtze Bar before heading to breakfast. Selina, our waitress, was finishing her shift, so I thanked her for looking after me these past few days before she disappeared off duty.
Today we left the Victoria Selina, our floating home for the last stretch of my tour of China, and were meant to spend the morning exploring Chongqing. Unfortunately, the rain was relentless. Our tour rep and guide wisely scrapped the original walking tour and replaced it with something that would keep us a little drier.
Chongqing in the Rain
We began with a short coach tour of Chongqing. The first thing we noticed was the sheer gradient of the hills. I was very glad we weren’t expected to walk far. We stopped at a riverside temple, though most of the ladies stayed close to shelter, and Ewen refused point‑blank to get out.
Left to my own devices, I entertained myself and a surprising number of Chinese onlookers with my own rendition of Singin' in the Rain. I danced, splashed in puddles, and sang my heart out, but sadly failed to recruit any backup dancers.
The temple itself was fascinating, and our guide was wonderfully entertaining. After exploring the grounds and learning about its history, we were shown a Banyan tree and taught how to estimate its age by the size of its leaves. We were then taken to a small shop where father‑and‑son artists painted intricate scenes on banyan leaves. Whether they are genuinely the only licensed artists in China doing this, I’ll never know, but the artwork was stunning. I spent ¥180 on a framed leaf depicting the city of Chongqing in its early days, one of my favourite souvenirs from the trip.
While admiring the temple, our guide complimented my hat and compared me to Kung Fu Panda. I chose to interpret this as reverence rather than a comment on my shape. This illusion was shattered moments later when she noticed the Jade Buddha around my neck and said I had the tummy of a happy Buddha. I offered to let her rub it for luck, but she declined, apparently, her husband might not have appreciated the gesture.
Museum Visit & Unexpected Fame
To escape the rain, we were taken to a museum. After wandering around with Mel and Tracy for a while, I decided I’d reached my cultural limit and headed for the café. Tracy joined me on the way.
Before we reached it, a girl approached me, waving a camera. She was a university student and wanted a photo with me. I agreed, and as soon as the first picture was taken, the rest of her group, about sixteen girls, descended. Suddenly, I was posing with individuals, groups, and anyone who wanted to borrow my Kung Fu Panda hat. Our guide, Branwen, watched the whole thing, shaking her head in disbelief. She said she’d seen blonde women and blue‑eyed men get attention before, but never a “sexy Buddha or Panda pin‑up.”
After escaping my adoring fans, Tracy and I finally reached the café, where I was delighted to find Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee on the menu. I ordered one for each of us, and we waited for the others to finish their museum tour.
Lunch in Chongqing
We left the museum and headed to lunch. Our coach driver performed an astonishing three‑point turn and reverse manoeuvre on a busy road before dropping us off. We walked past a large pet shop filled with hundreds of caged birds singing loudly. I wasn’t the only one who wondered whether there was a connection between the pet shop and the restaurant kitchen.
Lunch was excellent, and we said our goodbyes to each other and to Branwen. She told us, with tears in her eyes, that we were the friendliest group she had ever guided. Naturally, we believed her.
Freshening Up Before the Flight
After lunch, we were taken to a hotel where two rooms had been arranged for us to freshen up before the journey home. Ewen grabbed the key to the men’s room and vanished. Rob went off for some last‑minute shopping. I refreshed myself in the bar, where Michael soon joined me. The girls took turns using the room, then settled into the hotel bar to wait for the coach.
Mel, Michael, and I passed the time with an impromptu game of “Guess the Song and Who Sang It,” courtesy of my laptop. After a few hours, it was time to head to the airport.
Route Home, Chongqing to Beijing
Our gate was changed, and when we reached the new one, the area was packed with passengers from cancelled flights. A large storm front was rolling in. Our flight was delayed for a few hours, but eventually we boarded and, with a bit of luck, made our connection for our flight home.
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