I wasn't having fun

I’ve been stuck in Chengdu for the last couple days, trapped in limbo. I have to wait for the Public Security Bureau to open on Monday so I can give them my passport to get my visa extended. That will take them five days, possibly longer, because of the upcoming “Golden Week” holiday.

Chengdu is pleasant, but I feel lost here. It is incomprehensively huge, with wide, ten lane streets that go on forever, lined with banks, clothing shops, and other mundane businesses. Getting anywhere on foot is impossible due to the distance and the incomprehensible layout of the streets. I don’t know what to do with myself here.

I can’t stay here for another week, so after I turn in my passport, I’ll head for Jiuzhaigou, a national park renowned for its beauty 12 hours away in Northern Sichuan. I should be able to get in and out before the huge crowds arrive for the holiday, and get back to Chengdu just as all the hotels fill up. Hopefully I will be able to find a place to stay.