Spotlight: Chongqing, China!

Would Chongqing have the power to keep us sightseeing effortlessly through those holiday crowds? Reunited and ready, myself and a dear friend were ready to take the city of Chongqing on! It was my second visit, I had first visited during China's National Day in October 2015! It was more than a ten year reunion for me, it was a chance to reconnect with Chanel! Let's get it! 

Flying from our respective cities, I made the journey from Ningbo and also Chanel did from Beijing. I left work with a suitcase full of dreams packed for that May Day 2025 holiday weekend, I'm sure Chanel did as well! Chanel's flight from Beijing landed first, she graciously waited for me at baggage reclaim, my flight landed a little bit later on. Reunited and hitting the buzzing taxi pick up point, we headed towards the city with a whole lot of catching up to do, life had ran away with itself since we last reunited in August 2023! Our hotel was fine, although it was located between two floors within a towering CQ building! We retired for the night, needing sleep before our first mammoth day of sightseeing. For me, I wanted to take on a city that I wasn't present during my first trip, that first sojourn had been about booze and hotpot! This was a first for me, I usually solo travel but having Chanel with me for the weekend felt wonderful! Sweet dreams it was for us, we both agreed the hotel wasn't bad. It was very intentional! Indeed! 

We had things to do! Catching a glimpse of the Yangtze River from our hotel, we hit the streets below with haste! We both knew it was going to be a long day, heading downstairs I wanted to recapture those Chongqing breakfast noodles that I had enjoyed ten years previous to that sunshine moment! Topped with a fried egg, served alongside some Chinese '油条‘ and '豆浆', I was laughing! Chanel chose to have to some noodles before we headed on our full packed tour around Chongqing, our tour guide 'Ashley' was kind enough to wait for us. The street we ate breakfast on was coming to life, also we were to, that breakfast moment wasn't for nothing! Where would we head to first? Would there be much traffic? Those factors would be secondary because the sun had already started to beatdown with the humidity kicking in pretty early on, we would need to keep ourselves hydrated! A cable car? Me and Chanel looked at each other, we both hated heights but were both knew every experience needed to be confronted head on! 加油!

Heading onto the road, our car twisted and turned up and down those hectic Chongqing streets as we headed to our first attraction. I had clocked the Yangtze River during my 2015 visit but I was about to get an aerial treat! Coined as the most iconic way to cross the vast Yangtze River in Chongqing. Before we boarded that former sole river crossing, I got lost in those 2015 memories because I had quite possibly walked along those streets that we drove through. The drive from the hotel wasn't long but it was thought-provoking for me in many ways! With an almost decade hiatus since I had last visited for the first time, it was certain that both myself and the city didn't feel like strangers. The tour myself and Chanel had booked would take us to over eight places in one day, Ashley was going to keep us very busy indeed! Heights? Yes, our first point of interest was about to see us zipping across the vast Yangtze River, Chongqing's section of it! With our tickets taken care of, all we had to do was board the cableway car! Were we ready for it? Oh, yes! 

Half scared, we all boarded a very crowded cableway car, shaken but we kept our eyes on the prize! The view would save us and it was going to be memorable, that alone told us both to be brave! Our '长江索道/Yangtze River Cableway' car powered over the Yangtze River as if we were flying, I was made photographer because Chanel needed to compose herself during that moment, she was good! From every direction, we were afforded death-defying yet amazing views of those towering skyscrapers, it was one for the books! We zipped over the river with an unspoiled view of the city, the infamous smog had vanished, we saw everything in high definition! From the highest structure to the lowest, we had the city in our sights, quite literally! From the cableway, I had never seen Chongqing's '千厮门大桥/Needle River Bridge' the way I did! The ride was over before we knew it, we had bossed Chongqing's former 'only' river crossing valiantly! The experience was worth it, we saw views for days and clocked a lot, it wasn't scary! 

'龙门浩老街/Longmenhao Old Street' became our first point of call after our feet touched firm ground after the cableway ride. Once home to foreign embassies and consulates, it was very interesting to know that Chongqing itself had been annexed in parts as a 'Special Trade Zone' back in the day. Overlooking the banks of the '长江/Yangtze River', myself and Chanel were schooled about the history by our guide, Ashley. Climbing the many steps had us gasping for breath, we knew we needed to keep it moving and I knew not to complain! No kicks in the chest I wanted to receive! That's a joke between myself and Chanel, almost our catchphrase! Touristy stalls and stack stalls fronted some of the walkways but we wanted to look closer. Below us was a view waiting for us, we were able to peer over the ledge with the different levels of buildings in the shadow of the almighty river way and opposing skyline. I kept things together because heights aren't my forte but it wasn't bad because a bookshop caught our eyes. We had a look! 是!

Let me pause for a moment because several purchases had been made, not by me but Chanel had her heart set on getting her cleaning lady something. Before we climbed those levels, we tried some tea, Chanel absolutely bought some chilli paste for the person I just mentioned. Did I buy anything? No, I kept my WeChat Pay closed because my photos taken made me feel rich, I especially loved the scene taken above, I loved the stone archway with steps leading down in my direction. The greenery impressed me much, it was a side of Chongqing that I had never seen, I was making those second trip amends big time, I wasn't joking! Snacks we did not eat, I am not alright with street style snacks post Pandemic because I just don't have the stomach for them. We swerved those sitting snacks. We saw a 'caricaturist?' We gambled with our hard-earned coins for a joint drawing to remember our reunion. Did the guy do a good job? He did! The humidity was hitting us hard, we needed some shade and lunch with breakfast done! 走吧, 重庆!

Of course, that 2015 trip to Chongqing didn't come with any calculations nor did I even research any quirky sights. I entrusted 'Michaela' and 'Patrick', who I had met at my first ever teacher training in Suzhou, China during June 2015. On the first morning of that first visit to Chongqing, they guided me past '朝天门码头/Chaotianmen Dock' with Liberation Square as the destination. Clocking a very small tower, it had been built as the highest structure in the city at one time during 1940, not so long ago if you ask me honestly! I had seen many questionable YouTube vlogs of people 'visiting' a certain 'Floor 1 meets Floor 22 at the same time' honey pot location. Fast forward to 2025, a decade away made me want to see if Liberation Square had changed at all? The monument stood the same, the people traffic seemed a lot more, it was frantic with more shiny glass department stores, those magnets were a bargain! Paid promotion or not, I wanted to see where those two differing floors met, we both did! C, Those fruits looked bright! 

Getting to that unassuming 'floor orientated' landmark took some going, we were taken under and over a course of steps, going through an underpass took it out of me! Panting like I had just ran a marathon, I was relieved to be fronting that 'influencer hotspot!' What was so special about that point of interest? Chongqing has a very unique layout and geography that finds many buildings sharing different floors at stages not found in other Chinese cities. Walking on that seemingly 1st floor location, we walked towards what was a suspended bridge to find the next buildings 22nd floor! It was a sight for sure, we got our photos and it made me feel a bit queasy if truth be told. It was a very unassuming location, people had done the most on social media, we had ventured there to see it for ourselves. Getting back to a true ground level, we went to find some lunch because we were starving! Sitting down for an honest yet simple lunch was lovely, as we ate, Chanel and I chatted away! We had a show to see next, something about an opera? 快点!

Chongqing... 10 years On! 

Desperately Seeking Adventure