China - Chengdu Food, Heads on Plates

...and here's one that ticks the cultural box.  Didn't see anyone eat anything from the head - as they do for the feet - so supposed it was there just for effect.

The dish below was grotesque in its appearance, but quite good when tackled with the chopsticks.  Once I saw a TV show that featured a dish served in China in which the gills of a fish were still moving as if trying to breathe.  Sure glad we didn't see anything like that.

China - Chengdu Food, Vegetable Dish

The leader of our group took pains to photograph every single dish as it arrived on the table, then very kindly posted them all after the trip for everyone to have as keepsakes.  I, however, only took pictures of the dishes I thought were artfully plated, per the above, or otherwise interesting from a cultural standpoint.

China - Chengdu Food, Table Setup with Lazy Susan

I'll also be categorizing food into its own group for posting.  These people aren't from our tour, but snuck one in from above to show what a typical meal setup looks like for every lunch and dinner we had in China.  The big "lazy Susan" in the middle was used for service around the table, but you had to watch it with the serving utensils lest they knock your drink over as the thing was turning.  Occasionally you'd get a conflict when someone wanted it to go clockwise and someone else wanted it to go the other direction.  But otherwise this is a very good arrangement, with every dish available equally to all.

At a few of the restaurants the lazy Susan was motorized and turned slowly on its own.  Then if you wanted something gliding by it would be necessary to hold it in place while getting your food.  It was hilarious when someone would actually try to make it go in the opposite direction, not understanding why it was fighting to turn the other way.

China - Chengdu, Things on Buildings

And speaking of getting around, these are some of the things we saw on buildings as we got around in the city of Chengdu...

China - Chengdu, Getting Around on Delivery Trikes

Gotta love these guys...they were everywhere.  Someone on a break below.  It was common to see free-standing umbrellas on motorcycles and trikes, which at higher speeds were held onto tenaciously by their drivers:

China - Chengdu, Getting Around on Motorcycles

Something is going to be done a little differently for the pics from this trip.  I've always been interested in the kinds of vehicles used in different parts of the world.  Thus, all of the vehicles from a given place will be grouped and posted consecutively in a sub-series called "Getting Around".

Chengdu is a little higher in elevation (1,600 ft) and it rains a lot, so their motorcycles are tricked out to protect driver and passengers from the cool and rain.  What you see above is very typical.  The most interesting motorcycles to me, however, were enclosed on all sides by clear, zip-up plastic walls.  Try as I might to capture one, it just didn't work out...

Virtually all motorcycles and trikes were electric, making for a very different pedestrian experience in urban areas.  It is much quieter since there is virtually no motor noise, albeit more honking was necessary to make up for it because people don't hear what's coming.

Below we have a couple of the non-covered variety.  The pic at bottom shows how individuality is expressed by the owner, also very typical.  Didn't notice Yawning Guy until post-capture:

China - Chengdu, Scaffold Covering

Just as in Japan, China takes pains to cover construction or infrastructure facilities.  In addition to addressing public safety, this makes for a more pleasant daily experience just traveling through the city, improving the quality of life for its residents.  Looking closely, one can see that this covering is actually made of plastic panels, not the fabric we're used to seeing elsewhere.

At times only the upper floors are thus treated:

China - Chengdu, Radio Tower

Another one taken while out and about...

China - Chengdu, Tower from Bus Window

As is the case wherever we go on public transportation, there are good pictures to be taken but they have to be on the fly, and far from perfect.  But, seeing as how content and composition trump technical perfection, pics such as this can be considered keepers, if not even blogworthy.  The lighter shade streaking across the middle is a reflection off of the bus window between me and the temple (or whatever it is).  Still, it might make a good bookmark...

China - Chengdu Table Decoration

The meals served to us on this trip were elaborate.  Every lunch and dinner was served in a posh restaurant that was known for its presentation of local cuisine.  I did take pictures of some of the food, but photographically the decorations were just as interesting, such as what you see above.