Fullboy - Chengdu & Langzhong - Brains, Trains & Automobiles

The sleeper train from Kunming to Chengdu was infinitely more comfortable than the buses and we both thought to ourselves that from now on, travel in China was by train all the way! We managed to get a couple of hard sleeper tickets, basically two beds in an open bay consisting of 6 bunks, upper, middle and lower, 3 on each side. There are fold out seats in the aisle either side of a small table. There is even a hot water dispenser at the end of the aisle where you can get water for your pot noodles!! Chinese instant noodles are as good as, if not better than the delicious Korean Shin Ramen. It was great being able to have a stroll up and down the carriages, wash your hands, brush your teeth, go to the bathroom, have a snack, read a book, have a bed with clean linen in a no smoking carriage. Make no mistake, even though this was technically third class sleeper carriage, this was five star, bling bling luxury compared to the buses.

Arriving in Chengdu after an 18 hour, 1100km, peaceful and enjoyable train journey, we got a taxi to our hostel. It was afternoon and we didn't really have any plans for the day other than getting some delicious Sichuan food so we chilled out until the evening time. About a five minute walk from our hostel was a delicious hotpot restaurant. Similar to the Capitol Satay restaurant in Melaka, we had to get our fresh ingredients on kebab sticks from a refrigerated area at the back of the restaurant and plunge them into a deep red, fiery, bubbling chilli broth at our table to cook them. The spicy sauce was not for the feint hearted and packed a serious punch. I love this way of eating and I particularly enjoyed the quails eggs on a stick dipped in the Sichuan broth. Mmmmmmmm!

It was so good we went twice, the second time we ordered a different broth that was separated into two sections, one spicy and one mild. The clear broth had nice looking chunks of fish and vegetables floating around in it to give it some flavour, but after the sensation and experience of the original spicy broth, the tamer version was a disappointment. We noticed everyone in the restaurant was drinking small bottles of what looked like milk. I ordered a couple and saw written in English on the bottle, 'peanut milk' presumably to sooth the fire of the chilli in your stomach. If only we knew about these the first time round! I also spotted a couple of teenagers dropping what looked like raw brains into their hotpot (maybe it was exam time!) Curious as ever, I had a look around the refrigerator section for them and there they were, plates of raw pigs brains. I'd never eaten them before and Melissa was not going to help me out, but if teenagers eat them, how bad can they be. Looking at the plate of brains, the next factor I had to take into account was 'how long does a brain take to cook'? Noone around was going to answer this question for me so I thought it had to be a case of 'trial and error'. I slid one of the brains off the plate into the bubbling hotpot. It seemed to be cooking ok. After a few minutes I tried to get it out but succeeded in just breaking a piece off. I tried it and it tasted like a very mild liver, albeit a gooey liver. Unsure as to whether or not it was actually cooked I let the remainder of the brain boil away for another few minutes and then broke off another piece with a combination of my spoon and chopsticks. Melissa looked on in amusement at my struggle with the brain. For all the effort, it actually tasted quite bland, and still had a mushy texture. Next time I think I'll just keep to the kebab sticks!!

We travelled further into the Sichuan Province and visited the quaint old town of Langzhong. We stayed a couple of nights and enjoyed the local delicacy of preserved beef, locally known as Zhang Fei beef. The beef is packaged in small individual wrappers with a picture of the famous Chinese general Zhang Fei. Before I tried it, I never thought I'd be a fan of a piece of pre-packaged, cold beef but I have to say, it's an amazing snack and the beef somehow remains really juicy and tender, not chewy like jerky. We stocked up at one of the many shops selling the delicacy before we left. We also tried the local beef at a restaurant by the river one night and it was served to us sliced on a plate like meat from a deli, very delicious!