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July 8-14, 2007 |
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Chengdu,
China: |
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A
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ity |
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on |
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By Richard A. Ramos
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Cheng-du is known as the breeding ground for panda bears |
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IT WAS A
MOST unexpected but welcoming offer when the
Cathay Pacific (CX) Cebu office extended an
invitation to this writer for a familiarization
tour to Chengdu, China and Hong Kong. I simply
couldn’t refuse such an offer since I have never
visited these two places before. Though the time
factor was rather tight, I managed to clear my
schedule in time for the journey into the
neighboring Far East. Hence, the first part of
“A Tale of Two Cities.”
CX has five daily flights to Hong Kong. For the Chengdu connection, there are two options. First
is the 6:35 am flight which arrives 8:30 am in
HK. From there, take the Dragon Air which leaves
HK at 10:40 am and arrives in Chengdu at 1:15
pm. Second choice is the 12 noon flight leaving
Manila and arriving in HK at 2:40 pm. The Dragon
Air plane then leaves HK at 6:55 pm and arrives
in Chengdu at 9:30 pm.
It was a rather sentimental moment, parting with
my wife April, our three-year old son Rafael, at
the Mactan Airport. My week-long trip would
constitute the longest time of separation to
date from my family which also includes Ryan,
our 14-month old son.
Following a round of introductions with the
members of our group, we left for Hong Kong to
catch our connecting flight to Chengdu. Other
media writers included Nelia Neri of SunStar
Daily and Honorary Spanish Consul Jaime
Picornell of Cebu Daily News. CX representatives
covered CX Cebu manager Eddie Kong himself,
passenger sales executive Jewel Sanchez and 11
travel agents.
As a first-timer aboard the CX business class, I
couldn’t help but be impressed at the plane’s
sleek amenities, and especially, the sinful
variety of Haagen Dasz products! More so when we
arrived at the fabulous Hong Kong airport CX
business lounge which offered a host of
gustatory and technological freebies.
My luck continued to hold as I chanced upon a
Disneyland store in the terminal and loaded up
on ballpens, shirts, chocolates, etc. The only
problem was carrying everything till the |
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end of the tour.
Our Dragon Air flight from HK to Chengdu was smooth and
comfortable. Dinner was likewise welcoming. Minutes
after our plane landed, we were welcomed by our guide
Len. Since our place Hao Ge Business Hotel was located
some 70 kilometers from the airport, we had a breezy
look at the city and certainly liked what we saw.
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Demographics |
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Len explained that
Chengdu is a laid-back city. Pace is slow and easy,
almost like a seaside locale. Expressways, overpasses
and highways rule the metropolis. I also noted the
presence of several prominent automotive outlets such as
Rolls Royce, Volvo, Lexus and Mercedes Benz.
Chengdu is the provincial capital of the Sichuan
province. The province has a population of over 85
million, ranking fifth in the entire country. Dubbed as
the cleanest city in China by the national government,
Chengdu ranks as the fifth most populous city in China
with a population of 11.03 million in 2006.
The city has many names, from the “City of Brocade” by
way of the Jinjiang, a river that runs through the
metropolis and “City of Hibiscus” due to the presence of
its several parks and flowers to “Land of Abundance” due
to its fertile soil.
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Exploring the Sights |
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Following a rather
unfamiliar Chinese buffet breakfast, we temporarily
checked out of the hotel enroute to two more cities.
Our first stop was the sprawling 30-hectare Jinsha Site
Museum. Joining us were Len’s two pretty co-workers, Ivy
and Vivien. The museum is identified by its circular
Sunbird Gold Ornament which also serves as the logo of
China Cultural Heritage. Our guide was a petite
English-speaking lass named Monica who knew her job
inside out.
We got to know Chengdu
more intimately as we delved deep |
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page 14 |
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