After my usual pattern of staying somewhere for two days maximum, and with my free day by leaving Enshi early, I decided to take it easier the next couple of days.
After a light sleep-in and a delicious roadside Chinese breakfast pancake (Ji Dan Bing), I wondered if I could make my way to the river from my hotel.
It turns out (and this is a lesson I would learn repeatedly over the next couple of days) that Chongqing is a city with huge elevation differences, and what looks like something that can be done on a map is, in fact, impossible in real life.
I got close but ended up at a gated highrise cluster with no way to get through, so I returned and took the metro instead.
A transfer later, I was at the "Longmenhao Old Street scenic area." A network of alleys with great views of the downtown core and lots of little cafes and restaurants.
From here, I followed the riverbank downstream towards the next metro line.
Having seen one side of the city, made my way across to the other side, through another “Old street”.
One side of the street was a brand new, modern shopping area. On the other is one from earlier times, that mostly contains elderly playing various games.
Chongqing is a city in a nearly impossible place; most of it is located on a small stretch of land sandwiched between mountains, and it's incredible to be on a monorail high above the ground only to disappear underground under a mountain.
On the other side, it was getting dark. After dinner (Beef noodles with chili oil), I crossed the other river bank towards "Hongyadong," another scenic area famous for its nighttime decorations.
