Well, we’re back from Chengdu.  We arrived home last night at 9:00 p.m.  Thanks to some rain in the area before we arrived, the temperatures in Chengdu were much more comfortable than I anticipated–but still balmy compared to Xining.  When the sun was out the pool was the girls’ favorite place to be.  My favorite place, regardless of weather, was in a comfortable booth with either a.) a freshly brewed latte or b.) a freshly grilled hamburger sitting within arms reach.  This was a common occurrence on our 5-day excursion so I consider this trip a smashing success.  I think Christa would agree that the food, the pool, and the foreign-run coffee bar/English language library were the highlight, but I know she also enjoyed the play area at IKEA (can you believe they have an IKEA?) that gave us an hour of shopping all to ourselves (for those precious items that are unavailable in Xining, i.e. salt and pepper shaker.)

There was also the incident with the "nearly lost" piece of luggage on the train, but that deserves a thorough explanation and right now we’re getting ready for Sarah’s birthday party tomorrow.  I promise to explain the luggage deal in a day or two.

So, here are the pictures from Chengdu…

We also took a day trip to Qinghai Lake right before we went to Chengdu.  Here are those pictures…

Bon Apetit!