Day 69 : Chilling Chengdu

So we finally got a rest day. Our first one since Ullan Bator in Mongolia. I planned to sleep for England. No distractions, bosh out a cheeky 16 hours of sleep and maybe watch some tele. I have however lost my ability to sleep on demand. Very frustrating as it feels like I have been hit by a freight train at the moment. The sleep deprivation and road has upped the general feeling of shabbiness amongst the crew.  Weary heads make it hard to appreciate the whole experience so today was key on recharging out batteries.

Giving up on sleep I thought I would hunt out a solution for my ever growing mullet.  The rest of the crew were dotted around enjoying some time way from each other. Ross was sleeping, Paul catching up on some emails and Jim wandering the city lapping up the vibe of Chengdu.  A nice afternoon of pottering.

Karen from NAVO had organised a dinner for the evening. Being on the road for 10 weeks we have experienced some crazy crazy cuisine. No more than in China where every meal time is greeted with “what’s that?” to our guide Sun Gi. The crew, feeling very delicate, were very excited to be shown a menu with every western treat on there. Knowing that noodles, rice and dog were back on the menu tomorrow, orders of fish & chips and pizza were excitably ordered. Fed and watered, sleep was next on the agenda. Fair well hugs and thanks with the wonderful Karen it was time to get our heads down. The pandas get up early for breakfast in China so early start tomorrow.

Love and kisses. Steve