China Day 1

Just returned from 14 days in China.  Planned to write daily but often had trouble getting on the Internet.  The itinerary looked like three completely separate trips so traveling light was not an option.
First stop - Chengdu, the capital city of the Sichuan Province, for the International Sister Cities Conference.  Representatives from 26 of Chengdu's Sister Cities came to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the program.  Through it all I was surveying the world of business, design, architecture, retail, etc...

 

On arriving at our hotel at noon (after traveling 24+ hours and losing a day on the calendar, which happened to be my father's birthday so we can say he is a year younger than he would have been) I was told I had fifteen minutes to take my luggage to the room and rendez-vous with the group as we were going to tour a school.  School No. 9 sends exchange students to Phoenix each year and reciprocates with students from Phoenix. My daughter Isabella was an exchange student at his school in 2010.  Our delegation had a formal meeting with the head of the school followed by an informal question and answer session with twenty final year students.  They all wanted to learn the nuts and bolts of attending college in the U.S. and without exception  their command of the English language was remarkable.

Michael Johnson - Phx City Counsel, Mr. Meng Chou-V.
Director Chengdu Police, Kim Kunasek - Oei Design, LLC

From School No. 9 we crossed the city to the Chinese old style alleys of Chengdu: Kuan Alley, Zhai Alley, and Jing Alley.  The first of many banquets was hosted by the Foriegn Affairs Office and the Chengdu Public Securities Bureau.  A private upstairs room with dark wood and red silk fabric was the setting.  The dinning room was square with a large round table seated at least twelve.  The menue included Duck's tongue; Cow's neck; Pig's throat; Frog's legs; etc....  and toasts with good wine and spirits made for a memorable evening.  The party ended the evening at a pub down the lane where the waitresses dressed like German fraulines.


About Chengdu Sister Cities Conference