Chengdu, reaching Sichuan's capital by railway

In 1994 Chengdu seemed so different to Beijing where for several days I had been living within a hutong community at Beixinqiao. Walking south along Renmin Road everything initially felt much wider, straighter and higher than older Beijing, but I would soon also discover older Chengdu.

Chengdu in the 1990s was a destination/starting point for international travelers wanting to discover China away from the major cities. Then, the only scheduled flights to Lhasa were two daily morning services from Chengdu. The city was also a starting point for an adventurous journey to Lijiang in Yunnan - first by train to Panzhihua followed by a lengthy bus ride along mountainous roads. A consequence was the relatively inexpensive travelers’ hostels and cafes along the Jinjiang River. These were good places for swapping information with fellow adventurers while partaking a range of comfort foods to fortify oneself before setting out on more travels.