Return to Chengdu

Final Day of Tour - Extreme Shopping

Today was the last day of our tour in the Tibetan Region of Sichuan Province. We awoke not particularly looking forward to the potentially hazardous bus trip to Chengdu. The roads were actually in remarkably good condition - nothing like the muddy excuse of a road encountered on the first day. Our final day on tour was the least interesting day. You see, today was “shopping day”. We were chaperoned to four different venues selling, in turn, traditional chinese medicines, an extensive assortment of cured beef, crystals and Chinese teas. The most impressive part of the day was the dramatic demonstration of tea pouring by a young master of the art. His style was more akin to kung-fu than to pouring tea. He used a tea pot with a spout at least a metre and a half in length and flawlessly twirled and spun it and didn’t spill a drop of tea.

Apparently the salary of our tour guides is subsidised by sales at these shopping stops. Fair enough. We must commend our Mandarin-speaking Tibetan tour guide for his enthusiasm and diligence on the tour, and we also thank the two bus drivers for safely and competently negotiating Sichuan’s varied road conditions.

Ten and half hours after leaving Moxi we arrived in Chengdu.

"WHAT TYPE OF TOURIST ARE YOU?"

Our two recent tours have given us opportunity to reflect on the types of pople we've encountered on our tours. Here's our classification of tourists in China, in alphabetical order:

The Culturally Insesnitive Tourist: Has little regard for people from other cultures and their practices. Has been known to yell at Tibetan Monks in their own temple, urging then to "Hurry Up" and open the temple so that they can look inside and still make it to lunch in time. Ususally is female and middle-aged. Is often seen in the company of The Poser.

The Elvis Impersonator: Wears big sunglasses and a cowboy hat. May be female.

The Foreigner Who Looks Foreign: Is obviously from a different part of the world. Has difficulty communiating with others due to the language barrier. Requires someone to translate for them and assist them in shops and restaurants. Likes to watch the reaction of locals when they realise someone different-looking passes by. Is often greeted with "Hello". Is often seen in the company of The Foreigner Who Looks Like a Local.

The Foreigner Who Looks Like a Local: Looks like the majority of people on the tour and on the street. Speaks the local language sufficiently fluently to communicate effectively. Is often dismayed that eventhough they look like the locals, they are not like the locals. Is easily irked by the bahaviour of the locals. Has been seen to ask The Loud-Talkers to quieten down; ridicule The Poser; and rebuke The Culturally Insensitive Tourist. Is often seen in the company of The Foreigner Who Looks Foreign.

The Loud-Talker: Commonly encountered. Can be annoying if sitting on a bus directly in front of them. On the other hand, can be entertaining if they get into a heated argument.

The Mother and Son: Mothers travelling with their young or adolesent sons. The fathers are no where to be seen.

The Poser: Seen to spend more time than anyone else posing in front of signs and landmarks, to the exclusion of others. Will often return to a sign for a second round of photos in case the first series of shots proves inadequate. Will delay an entire busload of fellow travellers in search of the perfect pose. The only known barriers to The Poser are high-altitude and a steep staircase. We delight in stepping into their photo just as their pose is to be captured. Is usually female and middle-aged. Is often seen in the company of The Culturally Insensitive Traveller.

The Sleeping Beauty: Spends most of the day asleep on the bus. Awakens occasionally to disembark in order to eat or take photos of scenic spots.

The Students: University students on vacation. Seen to travel in groups of two to five. Speak a little English and spend most of the tour playing with their mobile phones.