Sichuan Part 二

After paving a road all day, we were all really looking forward to relaxing in the hot springs in the mountains the next day. We drove for six hours on the worst road I’ve ever been on. Granted, it was beautiful, but imagine a huge tour bus going up and down narrow roads covered with potholes that wrap around a mountain. The bus was rocking back and forth the entire six hours, blaring its horn, and rendering it nearly impossible to sleep. We finally arrived in Moxi, a town at the bottom of the mountain, and had lunch, despite the bus-induced nausea. We all remained hopeful that the ride would be worth it and as we neared the hotel, we peered down into the valley to see a beautiful resort and huge hot springs, only to have the bus stop at a smaller hotel with incredibly disappointing hot springs. To be fair, we expected this to be a non-luxurious trip through rural China, but when they showed us pictures of the hot springs, our expectations were definitely raised. To give the hotel credit, the rooms were way nicer than our previous ones, we enjoyed the first time having a Western style toilet, and the dining room was rather luxurious. THAT being said, upon returning to our rooms at night, we discovered two HUGE spiders on the wall (and another when we woke up in the morning).

Beautiful view on the mountain bus ride

Anyway, back to the hot springs. Afew of us walked down the road to the resort and used their hot springs instead. These hot springs were, in fact, the beautiful ones from the photos. We loved just relaxing and looking up at the mountains around us, particularly after the bumpy bus ride and paving a road the day before. There were many different pools, such as the tea spring, and one huge hot spring pool. Afterwards, we used the nicest shower I have experienced in China, making it all worth it. 

The next morning, we loaded onto another bus that would go up an even bumpier ride to the Hailuoguo Glacier in the Gongga Mountains. Thank goodness for seatbelts.

We took cable cars higher into the snow-capped mountains. It was beautiful, especially with the temples and statues at the top. There is a high Tibetan presence in the area and one monk spoke to one of our teachers and knew all these specific things about her life that she did not tell him. The mountain was truly stunning, albeit hard to breathe at the high altitude (and we felt really out of shape while panting after walking up a few steps).

Eventually, we went back down, had lunch, and drove six hours back through the mountains until we reached Ya’an, where we had Sichuan hot pot.

[This the part where I discuss food]

For most of the trip, our tour guide organized meals so we weren’t eating the (in)famous hot-as-hell Sichuan food every day. We actually had some really delicious food for the most part.

That little red spot on the left? That's it.

One spice very specific to Sichuan is called mala (麻辣) which means “numbing,” because when you eat it, it’s not hot, it literally just numbs your mouth. My first time eating it, I had never heard of it so I thought nothing of it. A few minutes later, half of my tongue started to feel really weird and I said something along the lines of, “omg, omg, what is happening to my mouth?” When one of my friends ate it, he kept asking if he was drooling because he couldn’t feel his mouth. I don’t truly understand why people eat it because it honestly doesn’t add much flavor and it wasn’t really an enjoyable experience, but I guess it makes a good story.

Sichuan Hot Pot

Our dinner in Ya’an was the famous Sichuan hot pot, a bowl of broth colored deep red from the peppers and spices to which we added various raw meats, fish, and vegetables. We each had a bowl of sauce to “cool it down” but it was still the hottest thing I have ever eaten, and I’m pretty sure I burned the inside of my entire mouth. I’m glad I got to experience true Sichuan flavors, and it did taste really good, but I’m very grateful that we weren’t eating it the entire trip.

The next morning we traveled to Chengdu, where they gave us time to walk around the Wuhou Shrine, a pedestrian street, and the Tibetan street. The shrine was very pretty although they gave us too much time in the area and I would have rather spent less time on the bus and instead, seen the famous giant Buddha in Chengdu or do more service. After dinner, we got onto the bus again to see the famous Sichuan opera. We were expecting a very traditional show but in fact, it was filled with lights, sounds, gymnastics, colors, and a lot of various flashy effects stimulating all of our senses a little too much. The music itself was seemingly random banging on drums and crashing symbols, while people screamed on stage. As with most things on our trip, it was not what we expected, but definitely an interesting experience.

Taken in a park in Chengdu

Overall, I had an incredible time in Sichuan. It was an experience I would never have been able to orchestrate on my own, and one I will always remember. I was grateful to be able to donate my time towards helping others, while still having an enjoyable trip, and most importantly, I got a lot closer to the people traveling with me. We could have been sitting in a hotel room with spiders on the walls, mouths burning from Sichuan cuisine, and still having a good time. The company definitely made the trip worth it, and I’m excited for the many more adventures to come.