Discover Chengdu

I have lost count of how many times I have been to Chengdu, Sichuan. When I learned that I would be going to the city again since I returned to China, I did not know which tourist attractions I wanted to visit, _________I have already been to most of them. One of my friends_________the Chengdu Museum, and I decided to check it out.

The Chengdu Museum is located in the center of the city, and it only took a 20-minute subway journey to arrive there. The building was covered in glass and looked_________from the outside. As the museum ticket was_________, I only needed to show my ID card before_________the museum. It was an early Friday morning, and it was drizzling a little, _________there were not many people around.

The first exhibition I visited was one about Chinese shadow puppetry (皮影戏). In a performance, puppeteers used silhouettes (剪影) cast by figures made from leather (皮革) or paper to_________a story. I learned about the complicated (复杂的)   _________as well as the differen_________tused to make the_________. For example, many northern Chinese people use donkey skin,_________southern Chinese people use cow or sheep skin. It takes a lot of skill for an artist to create figures out of animal skin, so the artist is_________with dozens of carving knives.

The museum dedicated at least two floors of exhibitions to the history of Chengdu, but its history did not_________me. Instead, _________Ian exhibition about the food and traditions in Chengdu. Sichuan noodles with chili sauce (担担面) are_________popular in Chengdu, but I never knew about the_________of its name until I saw an introduction about these spicy noodles in the museum. The Chinese character “dan”_________the pole street vendors (小贩) used to carry the noodles around. _________food, I also learned about children’s games and dressing customs.

It was_________to spend a few hours in the museum escaping the rain outside, and I am glad I finally had the time to see the exhibition_________jumping from one crowded tourist attraction to another.

Travelling alone can be a little frightening. However, this time is _______. Last week I had a holiday from work, but all my friends were occupied and none of them had the same_______ as mine. Such as it was, I still booked a train ride to Toronto and _______ a bed in a hotel for one week.

One week by myself! Would I be lonely? Would I be _______? Quite the opposite! In fact, there are many _______ that come from travelling alone. Firstly, I was able to do whatever I wanted. I enjoyed spending hours in museums that might have seemed _______ to some of my friends. I walked all around the _______, which some people may have found too exhausting. Instead of _______ someone else to remember _______ or to suggest activities to do, I discovered my independence and ________ map-reading skills that I didn’t know I had. I could   ________ and go to sleep when I wanted. Being in the safe environment of a hotel with like-minded __________ also gives a great opportunity to meet new people from all over the world, which can help conquer ________

I found that there were also some disadvantages of travelling alone ________ the benefits. I missed having someone to talk to and to ________ ideas with. Experiences are often more enjoyable if they are ________, and part of the fun of travelling is the ________ that you have with your friends or families afterwards. ________, eating in a restaurant or cooking in the hotel alone is less fun.

I am very ________ of myself for travelling alone and I had a fantastic time in Toronto. I would rather be by myself than with someone who is lazy and ________ to deal with in the future!

“Dad,” I say, “let’s take a trip. Fly and meet me!”

My father had just retired. He was _________ in his job, his thoughts, his life. While he woke up and took a warm shower, I screamed under a freezing waterfall in Peru. My father sees me drifting (游荡) _________, nothing to show for my 33 years but a passport full of funny _________. He wants me to _________, but I want him to find an adventure.

He agrees to travel with me and we meet four weeks later in Rapid City.

“What’s our first stop?” asks my father.

“What time is it?”

“Still don’t have a _________?”

An hour away is Mount Rushmore. As he stares up at the four Presidents carved in granite (花岗岩), “_________,” he says, “How was this done?”

The guide told us Gutzon Borglum _________14 years to the sculpture (雕像) and then left the final touches to his son. We stare up and I ask _________, “Would I ever devote my life to anything?”

No directions, no _________. I used to hear those words in my father’s __________. Now I hear them in my __________.

My father says, “I never __________ much with my father. We loved each other — but never said it. Whatever he could __________ me, he gave.”

That last __________ — it’s probably the same thing I’d say about my father. And what I’d want my child to say about me. I realize — maybe a __________ job won’t be as dull as I feared.

I tell my father I’ve decided to settle down, and I’m wearing a watch.