Today was one of the most exhausting days I’ve had for a long time, and for good reasons! It was our first time going into the city since arriving here Saturday. My cousin came with us, and we woke up early and spent nearly the entire day outside.
One thing I really like about Chengdu is the subway. To sum up my appreciation, it is very efficient. The trains come every five minutes, have a huge capacity, and are quite clean. Chengdu is still expanding their subway system, with three lines completed as of today and seventeen more planned in the future. The biggest surprise to me is that cell phone service is available throughout all of the tunnels and stations. There’s really nothing like it here in the United States.
We took the subway to the New Century Global Center, the largest mall and the largest building in the world. This was my third time going there, as I went twice two years ago. It’s got nearly everything you can imagine, including a five-star hotel, a giant water park, arcade, movie theaters, and of course many restaurants. Since it is such a massive building, we walked around for what felt like many miles, looking at all of the shops big and small. I got to try a Segway for the first time, which turned out to be very fun.
The highlight of the day was going ice skating in the regulation-sized ice rink on the fourth floor of the New Century Global Center. This was my third time going on the ice, so I was still a novice but able to go faster than before. I helped my cousin learn to skate, as she had never skated before. Together we spent a total of two hours and two combined falls on the ice for a very fun afternoon!
My feet are extremely sore after walking for many kilometers and skating on the ice for two straight hours. As for my jet lag, I’m actually enjoying the fact that I can wake up at seven in the morning without feeling groggy. This gives me time to go outside and get some exercise, before it gets too hot. Speaking of heat, the constant forecast of highs in the 90s does seem scary, but the light breeze and plentiful shade makes the heat bearable.
