Total cost incurred (5 days): Total = Y558
Hostel (4.5 nights): Chengdu Traffic Inn Y170 (dorm)
Food: Y140
Bus: Chengdu & gt;Kangding Y119; Chengdu & gt;Huanglong Si Y25 (return)
City bus: Y23
Sundries: Y122
Airport bus: Y10 + Y10
Entrance fee: Panda Center Y58
Chengdu is about 4.5 hr by air from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
My last visits to Chengdu were in 2009 & 2012. My main purpose of visiting Chengdu was to join a 7 day tour package to Lhasa & Mt Everest Base Camp but due to high pricing (US$1,000 for a package tour from Chengdu to Tibet excluding train tickets of CNY1,900 return ), I opted for a free & easy visit to the southern mountainous regions of Chengdu & Yunnan. The money was well spent as I visited 3 UNESCO world heritage sites ie Mt Emei, Tiger Leaping Gorge & Lijiang. Along the way, I had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of a few smaller towns ie Ya'an, Yajiang, Litang & Xiancheng. Other scenic places I visited were Lugu Lake, Tagong grasslands, Daocheng, Yading, Shangrila, Kangding & Xichang.
In Chengdu , I stayed in Traffic Inn which is a 5 minute walk to the Xinnamen bus station. From Xinnamen, I took public buses to Kangding & Huanglong Xi ancient town. Nearby Xinnamen, it was quite convenient to take public buses to Panda breeding center, Big & small alley & Sanshengxiang flower village.
I intend to take my wife to visit Chengdu in Oct 2015 and the places I like to visit are Jiuzhaigou, Bamboo Grove & Jinsha Relics and re-visit Leshan, Mt Emei etc
In mid-August, the weather in Chengdu was around 26c and towards early September, it was much cooler.
Xinnanmen Bus Station, Chengdu, Sichuan
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| 5 minutes walk to Traffic Inn Hostel, Chengdu |
1) Panda Breeding Centre, Chengdu (bus No 49 near Xinnamen bus station to last stop and change to bus No 87 to the breeding center)
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| Panda Breeding Centre |
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| Greeting from a golden panda |
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| Solo travellers are loners? Friendier ? Aggressive ? |
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| Breakfast time - pandas are bamboo eaters |
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| The CV of a Panda named Da Jiao |
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| Looking like a big squirrel climbing a tree |
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| Pandas are playful animals |
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| This adult panda looked like a polar bear |
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| 5 cute little pandas - sleep well, my dear ! |
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| 2 little pandas well taken care by the keepers |
2) Huanglong Xi ancient town (take bus from Xinnamen bus station), Sichuan
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| 1.5 hr by bus from Sinnamen bus station |
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| Old stone bridge |
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| Water fountain in front of Huanglong Xi gate |
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| Crossing a turtle/frog shaped walking path |
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| Old & unique architectural buildings |
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| Huang Long Xi Gate |
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| Traditional shops with a unique roof top |
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| Nice & serene - great for a stroll to admire the surrounding |
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| Looking like 2 bull dogs guarding the front |
3) Kuanzhai Alley (Broad & narrow alley), Chengdu, Sichuan (take bus No 62).
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| It was early autumn when I visited Kuanzhi Alley |
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| Turn left to a narrow alley |
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| Broad alley |
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| One of the small alleys or hutongs |
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| Another alley - you won't get lost ! |
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| The front of an old courtyard house |
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| A Qing dynasty house |
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| Ancient wooden buildings |
4) Sanshengxiang Flower Village, Chengdu
(take bus 343 near Xinnamen bus station)
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| 30 mins by bus from Chengdu city centre |
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| A flower town or village in rural area of Chengdu |
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| The start of the San Sheng Hua Xiang scenic area |
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| A holiday resort hotel in San Sheng Xiang |
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| Full of flowers |
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| Cheng's style flower & plant nursery |
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| Flowers, flowers, flowers |
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| A flower farmer's village |
5) Chengdu by night
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| 15 mins walk from Traffic Inn hostel |
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| Up market apartments |
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| A upmarket shopping mall |
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| Prada, LV - all branded labels on sale here |
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