trip switcher

Charles in Chongqing

I have always had a desire to go to China. At least for the last 3 or 4 years I’ve been trying to get my friends or family on board with me but to no avail. Many empty promises later, in 2005, I finally told myself to take the plunge on my own. I’m half Chinese so I’ve always had an interest in Chinese culture and traditions and I wanted more than anything to see their way of life up close.

I met Charles online via a pen pals website. I didn’t really plan on trip switching, I actually wanted to simply chat with a Chinese fellow about his way of life and their culture and such. This was my first dive back into that realm of foreign friendship since I had a German pen pal in high school. We emailed a couple of times per week, talking about jobs and other interests. After around 5 months of emailing and a few phone calls, I decided I’d fly over for a visit and have him show me around his area.

It was intense. Chongqing is a massive city, but since it’s so far inland, it is not as populated with foreigners as others like Beijing or Shanghai. Chongqing is most famous in all of China for two things, beautiful women and a spicy dish called Hoa Guoa. I have to admit, these two items did not disappoint!

The women are said to be so beautiful there because it’s in a mountainous region and it’s built at the merging of three rivers so the moist air is excellent for your complexion. Many of the famous models in Chinese commercials hail from Chongqing. Everyone there loves spicy food as well and some believe that contributes to detoxifying their skin and the beauty of the women.

The Hoa Guoa is what Charles and I are eating in the picture above. It’s just a large bowl full of spiced water that sits atop a furnace. As the water slightly boils and they bring baby eggs, lunch meat, lettuce, mushrooms and other items to you raw and you use your chop sticks to hold the items in the broth to cook them. You’re basically cooking every bite as you eat. It’s an excellent feast and Charles and I shared Hoa Guoa at least every second day I was there. I’m sure he was sick of it (since he eats it so often anyways).

The only cons I recall from the trip were that there seemed to be a lot of beggars (but this is common in most of China). The public transportation system, while unbelievably speedy, was very dangerous in some cases as there seems to be almost no traffic enforcement.

I’ve been to other regions of China several times since then but Chongqing is by far the most beautiful city. The lights at night make it look spectacular. It’s got a world-class zoo, its shopping malls are first rate and the sites to see are endless. It may not have the Great Wall near it, but the 3 Gorges Rivers is a sight to behold and there are nearby ruins that are beyond beautiful, featuring a gold Buddha with 1,000 hands and eyes. Charles was an excellent travel partner, spending every day with me and always being up beat about showing me around. I paid for most of our excursions since the exchange rate at the time made me feel fairly wealthy and it was the least I could do for Charles. I sincerely thank him for his friendship and his time, I’ll never forget that vacation.