The train from Chengduddong (Chengdu East Railway Station) took about 1 hour and 30 minutes, and was super uncomfortable. The ticket was about $20, so I can not really complain. I despise being in the middle seat though.
I doubted Chongqing and if it was even real because I saw all the videos on social media of the cyberpunk city, but looking outside the train window, we were passing through countryside China.
We did not start seeing a building or a sign of mega metropolis until like 5 minutes of arriving.
I think my expectations were ridiculously high because when we got to the station, I was disappointed that we did not stay longer in Chengdu.
I kid you not, there was nothing interesting or illuminating at the station we got off at, Chongqingbei. I was really starting to question the authenticity of every video I've seen about this city. The hotel was about a 25-minute drive south from the station, and even that drive was unflattering until we're about to cross the bridge, and I saw the craziest skyline I have ever seen in my life.
Some hacker must have been controlling my playlist at the time because right when the skyline got into view, "Where the Streets Have No Name" by U2 started playing. Perfect timing! It was such a super cinematic moment, but it quickly died because there was a huge traffic jam on the bridge. The cars were not the only thing causing traffic, the people were too.
Hopefully the embedded video works. I have to relocate and manage so much storage after this trip. 97% full Google Drive 😳
One bad quality of Chinese navigation apps is that they do not account for traffic, a 25-minute drive turned into an hour-long drive due to the traffic.
I will show a video of the hotel room in the YouTube video, but we essentially just dropped our bags after checking in, went to the exclusive hotel open terrace, got dinner, and headed straight into the city.
After walking around Jiefangbei Square, we decided to head to Hongya Cave.
Chongqing is very reminiscent of Hong Kong, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. I am leaning more on Las Vegas because it really is in the middle of nowhere.
They built this city straight into a mountain like they sculpted it out. Pretty insane to think about!
We walked through the cave and did not do much after. Buying stuff at the cave is just a major tourist trap.
We were packed in like sardines the whole time. There was no breathing room at all. The people who did have breathing room were vendors selling photo spots. We had so many try to approach us. I think it is a stupid business model, but who am I to judge someone trying to make a quick buck!
After descending to Hongya Cave and realizing how much of a bust it was, we climbed the stairs all the way back up, and called it a night back at the hotel.
I wanted to do more, but I think after 36,000 steps, I had to give my body a rest. Our hotel view was overlooking the Chongqing World Financial Center building, and with all the neon lights illuminating, I thought I was living in Blade Runner.