Sweltering (and Spicy!) Chongqing

After our time in Beijing we flew to Chongqing, a megacity of nearly 30 million located near Sichuan province. The city is famous for having some of the hottest weather in the country, and possibly the spiciest food in the world. The smell of chili peppers wafts through the humid air, and nearly any bite of food you have is guaranteed to make your eyes water. It is also a city of rivers, sitting at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers. However, what is most striking of all is the mountainous terrain that the city is built on.

Every direction you look you see mossy green hills and mountains with massive buildings sandwiched and layered on them. The hilly landscape results in some of the most surreal urban geography that I have ever experienced. Sometimes referred to as a “3D” city, you will often have your senses jarred when you realize that what you thought was the ground floor is actually 10 stories up on a cliff. GPS is also next to worthless as it can direct you to the general area where a store or restaurant is located, but not which floor of the “sandwich” that it’s on.

We stayed just a block away from HongYa Cave, the epicenter of tourism in Chongqing. Essentially it is an 11-story wooden structure built into the side of a cliff, meters away from the river and the impressive Chaotianmen Bridge. Inside is a labyrinth of oddities, restaurants, street food, shops, and bars, but most striking is the exterior of the building. While already beautiful in the daytime, it becomes incredible as the sun sets and it is lit up by a series of lamps and lanterns. In fact, taking in this sight is an absolute must for any travelers to Chongqing, and that is exactly what we did on our first night out. One of the best vantage points for both Hongya cave and the jaw-dropping skyscrapers on both sides of the river is from Chaotianmen Bridge, but be prepared for the crowds. But, it is absolutely worth it to take in a cityscape like no other, which feels like Manhattan on steroids.