adventure – Uncle Bob's Scenic Tours

Day 24 – April 12th – Chengdu

If you remember from a day or 2 ago when we visited the bamboo lights we saw an enormous building just across the road, which we found out later was the “Global Centre.”

So in the morning we took another taxi to see what it was all about.

The New Century Global Center in Chengdu opened in 2013 and is recognised as the largest building in the world, measuring about 1.76 million square metres.

The building measures 500m × 400m x 18 floors high and is often cited as having enough space to fit 20 Sydney Opera Houses. Highlights include a giant water park (Paradise Island Water Park), a cinema, and ice rink as well as

Developed by billionaire Deng Hong’s Entertainment and Travel Group (ETG), nearly 400,000 m² (4,305,564 ft²) of the building is devoted to shopping. It also houses offices, conference rooms, a university complex, two commercial centers, hotels, an IMAX cinema, a “Mediterranean village”, a pirate ship and an Olympic-size skating rink. The centerpiece of the building is a water park (“Paradise Island Water Park”), containing a 5,000 m² (53,820 ft²) artificial beach, where a large 150 by 40 m (492 by 131 ft) screen forms the horizon to offer sunrises and sunsets.

The Paradise Island Park sits under a massive atrium at the center of the New Century Global Centre in Chengdu.

5* Intercontinental Hotel overlooking Paradise Island

In the foyer area they were recording a “China’s got Talent” show for the TV.

The main part was open for skating and the other end was being used for ice hockey practice.

from the waterpark we could just see the hotel rooms at the opposite end of the beach.

Golden escalators whisk you to hundreds of top end shops and restaurants

I dont normally rate shoppimg malls etc but this must be the most remarkable building I have ever visited and well worth spending some time there.

We had a lovely Thai lunch and then back to the hotel to pack ready for our flight to Singapore.

Chengdu is certainly much more than just the Pandas and we were glad we stayed four nights,

TTFN

BIbbley

Day 23 – April 11th – Chengdu

April 11th was another warm day as we set off in our taxi to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Founded in 1987 by the Chengdu Municipal People’s Government. It started with six giant pandas that were rescued from the wild. By 2008, the research base had 124 panda births, and the captive panda population has grown to 83.

It’s aim is to “be a world-class research facility, conservation education center, and international educational tourism destination.”

Just after being dropped off by our taxi

And so all wearing our “Uncle Bob’s Scenic Tours” t-shirts we set out to see some pandas.

At the entrance we were again pleased to find that being over 60 we all had free entry and the only cost ws £1.50 each for the electric shuttle buggy to takw us to the main centre about a mile away, the park really is quite big.

Each group of pandas were in their own buildings, with a large outdoor area

of course the coffee would be panda themed

A little futher into the park we took a look into the art display.

Another couple of pavilions with red pandas

of course there were several souvenir shops

Luckily for our feet there were escalators on the way out

Past the buses to where our taxi was waiting

This was a great day out but quite tiring, the park is about 1,000 acres roughly the size of 560 football pitches with many of the pavilions about a ten minute walk between them.

In the evening wqe took a short ride to the Anshun Bridge, one of the most photographed night spots in Chengdu, a traditional Chinese covered bridge over the Jin River which is fully lit at night with golden orange illumination, reflecting in the water.

So we ened the day relaxing in one of the many bars near the bridge and watching the bridge come to life as dusk set in and the lights reflected beautifully in the river.

TTFN

Bibbley

Day 19 – April 7th – Sanya

At breakast the followimg morning we chatted about what to do and Diane said she had seen photos online of a giant Buddha statue in the sea and would like to see it. Having come across this statue whilst looking at things to do in Sanya I soon agreed and so did Gary.

“It’s about 25 miles away I said”, “25 minutes by taxi.”

“No problem, let’s go” agreed Gary and Diane and so I booked a taxi and we were soon on our way to the ‘Nanshan Buddhism Cultural Park’.

I may have said before about the cost of taxis in China but this 25 mile nearly half hour journey cost only £8.50, which for 3 passengers is great value. If

you are travelling to China just download the AliPay app and link it to your bank card before you arrive. This app is used everywhere to pay for all your meals, shopping and other payments and also includes the “Didi” mini app to book a taxi.

Simply click on the app, the built in GPS pinpoints where you are and you type in where you want to go, (in English), and it gives you a choice of vehicle types to choose from, ordinary taxi, executive car, minivan etc and the cost of each type for the journey. Then just click on the one you want and within seconds the screen shows the vehicle registration and type and the drivers name and how soon it will arrive.

I can’t stress enough how essential the AliPay app is in China, In four weeks I used on £30 in cash and the rest of my spending was with Alipay and on Didi. Even the smallest street food seller has the Alipay QR code to scan to pay them.

Anyway back to our trip. The Didi driver dropped us off at a car park by the side of a dual carraigeway where we saw quite a few tour buses parked up and a number of people getting tickets (and paying with Alipay of course), up I went and the lady handed over 3 tickets at £1.50 each and through the turnstiles we went.

“That was cheap” Gary said, Diane chirped up with ” What are we doing here in a car park ? I thought the statue was at the seaside?”

Well it all became clear, we were at the entrance to the park and the tickets were for the mile or so return ride to the ticket office!

after paying by scanning the QR code at the ticket gate 3 QR code tickets appeared on my phone for the electric buggy ride to the entrance proper

As with many cultural and scenic areas in China there are good discounts or even free entry for seniors, Here it was half price if you are over 60 and free entry if over 70. so Diane and I were half price at £4 and Gary was free. Always remember to bring your passport at all times as entry to all attractions requires proof of ID and age.

So off we went in the glorious sunshine to explore the park.

We wandered down the gentle slope towards the sea and past the many floral displays and food stands and after about 20 minutes we caught our first glance at the statue.

the 3-sided Guanyin of Nanshan (Goddess of Mercy) statue is 354 feet (108m) high, is the tallest Guanyin statue in the world and taller than the Statue of Liberty which is 93m tall.

The statue was built and park opened in 1998

The statue represents Guanyin, the Buddhist figure of mercy, and the three faces symbolize:

Compassion in all directions

Each face looks in a different direction (one toward land, two toward the sea), showing that Guanyin is watching over and helping all beings everywhere — no one is outside her care.

Different aspects of protection

Each face represents a slightly different role:

One face: peace and blessing
One face: wisdom and guidance
One face: protection from danger (especially for people at sea, important in coastal Hainan)

Unity of mind, body, and spirit

In Buddhist symbolism, multiple faces often represent different qualities unified in one enlightened being — not three separate figures, but one compassion expressed in many ways.

Why two faces look out to sea

Given Sanya’s coastal location, this reflects:

Protection for fishermen and sailors
Blessings for those travelling across the ocean
A link to Guanyin’s traditional role as a protector from peril

We stopped and rested at one of the many food stands and chatted about how beautiful the park was and how glad we were we visited.

We took a slow walk back up to the entrance and Didi ride back to our hotel for a dip in the pool to cool off before dinner.

TTFN

Bibbley