I'm warning you, if you're not into adorable creatures, skip this post. There's one big reason to go to Chengdu (other than spicy food) and that's Pandas. So this blog post is going to be all about them. Pandas are adorable. Seriously. If you've only seen pictures of them then you have to see them in person. They're hilarious and squishy. The kind of animal you wouldn't mind getting mauled by as long as you could get a hug in first. Clear this plane, we're ready to go!
Chengdu reminded me more of Singapore than the first 2 Chinese cities we have visited. Lots of Prada and Gucci ect. This is where the whole "Red China" thing breaks down. It's like "yeah, yeah I know you're all communists but I'm gonna have to call you out on that based on the 4 Mini-Cooper dealerships and the Louis Vuitton store we just passed....." Please!
We fell into bed, woke up early and scarfed breakfast so we could have plenty of time to visit the pandas before boarding our plane to Tibet. We stopped in the Panda kindy first. These guys were all about 1 year old and they were ADORABLE! But they were inside so the pics are all kind of dark.
We want one!
Then we saw some adult pandas. They are hysterical. The way they use their hands to eat bamboo is so like us. They really just need a Barca lounger and flat screen TV so they can watch Animal Planet while they're snackin'!
Just eating away... Pandas only eat a special kind of bamboo that grows at higher altitudes so all the bamboo they eat has to be shipped in from higher up. And these guys eat A LOT of bamboo. So keeping everyone fed is a pretty big and expensive job.
Next we saw the red pandas. I didn't even know we were going to see them and I LOVE them! They are like a cross between a panda and a raccoon. They have the cutest faces you've ever seen. I'm talking adorable like a baby harp seal....
Heading for the trees!
They spend a lot of their time climbing into trees. They're very agile, UNLIKE their fat black and white cousins. Look at that cool tail!
Exhibit A: Not going to climb a tree... Seriously though, how can you not love the way they lie all over each other while they just eat and eat...
We watched this group of teen-agers for a long time. They were hysterical! My fav was the one standing up. He stayed in that spot the whole time, just kickin' it. The only thing he needed was a backward baseball cap.
Lovin' the Pandas.
On our way out we stopped to incorporate some new family members into the fold. So now we have Pandy and Melody. Nothing like getting adopted and getting right on a plane. As it turns out, our Panda friends would do a lot better with the high altitude of Tibet than their new owners...
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