Panda Paradise!

I got to hold a baby panda!!!!! We went to the Chengdu Panda Research Center, which is about 20 minutes outside downtown Chengdu. It is somewhat zoo-like but the habitats that the pandas live in are much larger and more true to their natural habitat then at the National Zoo in DC. There are about 30 giant pandas living there. We were supposed to go in the afternoon on the day we arrived in Chengdu, but our guide suggested we change that plan since the pandas tend to be sleeping in the afternoon. I am sooooooo thankful that she made that suggestion.

We arrived at the center at about 9:30 am. There were already a lot of tour buses there but our guide, Julie, said it was quiet compared to other times she has been there. We were able to see several pandas eating and got to watch a couple of 4 year olds playing for a good 20 minutes or more. They were frolicking and tumbling and wrestling. It reminded me of Harley and Duncan playing at home. They were just adorable. I could have watched them for hours.

The highlight was getting to hold Jin Jin, an 8 month old panda. We watched him climb down a tree and play a bit then Julie directed us to the area where we could hold him. At first, I didn't realize that I was going to get to hold the panda we just saw playing. It was pricey and we did not have enough yuan to pay for it. I tried to keep my disappointment in check, but it was tough. Thankfully, Andrew and Julie found out they would take US dollars and my day was made. There were tons of people there at the time so the handler asked us to come back in about 45 minutes because Jin Jin gets upset with so many people around. When we came back there was hardly anyone there. They brought Jin Jin to me and for 2.5 minutes, I was in heaven. He was sooooooooo cute. We've got it all on video that I will undoubtedly bore all of you with at some point.

After the panda reserve, we went to an embroidery shop where they make hand made silk embroidery pictures and silk brocade pieces on a loom. They also make carpets. We got to see the artisans working and even got to try our hands at carpet weaving. The work was just beautiful.

From there, we went to lunch for our last meal with Julie and Mr. Chun and then off to the airport. We made it back to Beijing and in the airport we stumbled upon a group of Spanish parents just back from Canton province with their new Chinese babies. I spoke with one parent who said all of the babies are healthy and eating well. It really hit us that in just a few days, that will be us. We can't wait!

Today we are going to the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace.

Michelle