August 2nd-Finding something in Chongqing part II

Well, the second day of Chongqing started with the ground still wet from the massive rain storm that I got stuck in briefly last night. Luckily I had someplace to take cover. The sky was overcast, but then again it is always overcast in Chongqing. So I thought nothing of it...more on this later as it bites me in the ass.
I decided to explore the city today before meeting my guide at 4pm who would take me to the cruise boat. I will cut out comments on the growth of Chongqing since the last post was sooo long and I wanted to keep this one kind of short. But basically: ITS A BIG CITY! ITS NOISY! IT SMELLS WORSE THE SHANGHAI!
As I was heading north from the docks towards what is labeled on the map as "Food Street" a chinese guy starts talking to me. I am wary. But I remember the little girl from yesterday and I talk back to him.
We exchange normal chit chat. Then he starts talking about cruise ships and how he can get tickets. Oh no. I try to be nice since we seem to be walking the same direction and he is keeping pace with me. I remember the little girl and play nice. I tell him I already have tickets. He says ok, and the conversation moves on. I was a bit shocked by this, but still a little skeptical that eventually he would try to pull a scam on me. I ask him how to get to the liberation monument. He offers to show me. I am sure he will then try to sell me watch.
But we get to the Liberation monument and he doesnt do anything. Doesnt try to sell me anything. I ask how to get to "Food Street" and he says "oh you want to try some food huh?" and says follow me. I can see that we are heading to some kind of restuarant. And although I am a bit worried he will try something still, I am getting excited about going to a chinese restaurant in a city that has NO english menus or signs or anything, so I follow him in. It is called a snot if I heard him correct. basically is a food court, but with good food. Holy crap. I am having an amazing travel moment!
First we have what I can only describe as home made twinkie. The filling was made of milk (yeah-that was deep fried along with the pastry around it) and a veggie spring roll. I offered to pay for everything (it was super cheap in USD) and my friend didnt hesitate to accept.
The second stop in the cafeteria was the weird food section. I saw it on the way in, and I had to try something off it. There was Chicken hearts. I passed on that, but regret it a bit. There was whole little birds that were deep fried, and still looked like birds. I passed on that and dont regret it at all. I did go for the buffalo tripe. I am not sure if it was just Buffalo, or water buffalo, but it was intenstines of some big animal for sure. Second choice was the chicken stomach strips. Yes please! And to play it save, i had what I think was bean or tofu sprouts or something like that.
I gotta say, the tripe was awesome. They dipped it in this sauce when we paid and it was just amazing. Same with the chicken stomachs. It was actually the safe choice, the tofu thing, that I couldnt stand. Didnt like the textures. But the tripe I would go back for in a second!
I think this was my reward, my redemption for my guilt over the little girl or something like that. I went to a cafeteria in Chongqing with a total stranger and had Buffalo tripe. Awesome.
And then the crap hit the fan. Long story short. It poured as I was walking back to the hotel to meet my guide. I tried to get him to meet me somewhere else, but he didnt seem to get that I had checked out of the hotel at 9am. I waited in a store front with an old chinese woman who seemed happy to have me there, but I didnt understand what she was saying. At about 15 minutes to the meeting time, I didnt know where in the hell I was. I had to go for it. It was still pouring at this point. And I am not making this up. (parts of the city did flood and flights that were 30 minutes out of the city were turned away and told to go back to where they came from-I found this out the next day after taking to some Dutch guy on the cruise about architecture)
I was soaked almost immediatly. After 15 minutes I found the street the hotel was on. And of course, it was flooded. Not only was it flooded, but the sewers were over flowing-thats how much rain there was. And when I say overflowing, I dont mean a nice trickle. I mean gushing sewage onto the street.
And I walked through it.
I had to, there was no other way to get to my hotel except to go back up the hill and go around-another 20 minutes for sure.
It was up to the mid point of my shins. And it smelled really really really bad. The locals were laughing at me, but this time they probably had good reason.
I got to the hotel and the guide asked why I got stuck in the rain. When I pointed out the stupidity of coming back to the hotel (especially since I had walked right by the boat earlier in the day) he suddenly got it and laughed.
Then I checked my bag.
There was a puddle in my bag.
oh no. My little point and shoot camera would not turn on.
Even worse, my big camera wasnt working. I was not having fun at this point
Neither of my cameras would work right until the mid morning of the next day. The battery that was in my small camera at the time is totally destroyed
But luckily, they worked for the Three Gorges. Had they not, that whole experience with the Tripe and my random Chinese friend, would have been for not.