China - Chengdu Ear Pickers

One of the more interesting facets of Chinese culture, to me, is this ear picking thing.  A wife will clean her husband's ears as a demonstration of affection.  Chenjean did this for me when we were first married, and I saw this done on Chinese soap operas as a way to convey the stability of a married relationship.  And just as there are business establishments for foot massage, signs for dedicated ear picking establishments can be seen along busy commercial streets.  I would draw the line, however, if it went a little further and did the same thing for noses.

Got closer for the shot below, but felt weird about it, as if I were intruding on a private moment:

China - Chengdu, Tree Against Colorful Wall

Yesterday saw an article online - plus a couple of videos - touting that, even after having been on the market already for eight years, the Nikon D850 is probably the best DSLR you can buy.  Further confirmation that I made the right choice back in 2017 when it first came out.  For example - the picture above, captured with an iPhone, is decent enough, but would have had much more depth and richness of color if taken with the Bigger Cahoona.

Which reminds me of something I heard on this trip to China.  There was a guy in the group, a serious hobbyist, who brought along one of the latest and greatest Sony models.  He related to me that one could tell who the most seasoned photographers are in a group by looking at his/her equipment.  The younger and less experienced ones had the fancy big rigs with all the bells and whistles, whereas the more mature photographers would be crouching down to capture something with a point-and-shoot or phone camera.  Goes to say that subject trumps equipment every time.  Makes sense to me, but I'll be toting along the Bigger Cahoona next trip, with at least one more bell and whistle.

And that would be a GPS unit.  To me the greatest drawback of the D850 is lack of a GPS chip.  This was brought home yesterday as I was processing the pics captured with the iPhone, and was reminded that, in order to save battery life, Location Services was turned off for several days.  Thus there was no lat-long for a substantial block of photos, which would have come in handy.  Wouldn't have to worry about that if a GPS unit were attached to the Bigger Cahoona.  Priced a few online, and decided that it would be worth a couple hundred bucks for a good one.

China - Chengdu, Ancient Well Site with Floor Map

Moving away now from Kuanzhai Alley into other parts of the city...

This is a map of the region cast into a pedestrian walkway.  The wider, darker lines are waterways, appropriately emanating from this ancient well site.

China - Chengdu, Fruit Vendor at the Entrance to Kuanzhai Alley

Now these guys were interesting.  We were told not to buy anything from them, because the red fruit has been dyed and the blueberries come from suspect sources.  Nevertheless they looked very appealing.  And the scale they use to charge customers by weight could well have been in use a thousand years ago; I tried to get a closeup pic of one while it was being used but couldn't quite manage it, especially since I didn't buy anything from him or the several others we saw in the plaza.

What is equally intriguing to me was the method of carrying those trays around...something else that was probably in place a thousand years ago.

And evidently what they're doing is illegal, because once in a while a police officer would step over during a transaction and stop everything.  These vendors were very wary of the officers, and took pains to keep their distance.

China - Dairy Queen in Chengdu

What self-respecting tourist trap would go without a Dairy Queen?  Saw these in all of the larger cities we visited.  And the dipped cones - a go-to favorite for the wife and I - come in a lot more flavors than we see in the U.S.

China - Chengdu, Branches at the Entrance to Kuanzhai Alley

Another sight to see at the entrance into the Kuanzhai Alley.  Rustic, lamp, branch pattern...this one ticks three of my favorite boxes.

China - Chengdu, Signage at Entrance of Kuanzhai Alley

Closeup of some signage, which can be seen in a broader view in the post of a few days ago (Aug 8th).  There are lots of keepers that can be classified as "rustic" since there are so many old - even ancient - structures in China.

China - Chengdu, Women in Period Costume

Even some who are not performers dress up in period clothing, which they rent, much as they do at the Renaissance Festival here in Texas.  We saw this in several locations, both in eastern and western China.

China - Chengdu, Street Performer

Much as they do in Europe, performers who pose as historical figures are around with a collection plate.  This guy was amenable to having his picture taken even though I didn't put anything in the hat...

China - Chengdu, Our Awesome Tour Guide

...and here is our first tour guide, who was every bit as earnest as he appears in this pic.  After getting our baggage at the airport the night before, he offered to help me with my baggage but I brushed him off thinking he looked a rough character.  This was before I knew what his role in the coming days would be.  As it turns out, he was a terrific fellow, very friendly and considerate of our needs.  He traveled with us for most of our journeys through western China, and accompanied his tour-guide chatter with singing and even recitation of poetry.  We observed throughout the trip that poets are highly venerated there, in the present day as well as ancient times.

Another shot of our friend below.  We learned to keep a sharp eye out for that blue stuffed bear wherever we went, as many of the places we visited were crowded: