I went to Chengdu, home of the panda breeding reserve. So, as a few of you know I really like Pandas (asked for a Panda for Christmas when I was little) they're my favorite animal so I've been planning to come to China and see the pandas for years now. and I finally did so now you will all be subjected to the my love for these creatures and only a handful of the dozens of photos I took.

After they ate they were really playful. I was surprised to find out that they are vicious (they are wild bears) their manager is still a bit afraid of them.
Actually they're really good climbers.

Teenagers (3-4 years) So, lazy and greedy. Adult (5-6 years) Tired and slow.
Baby (less than a year) The size of my teddy bear.
Adult pandas (5-6 years) They have an pseudo thumb (so six fingers) that helps them grip the bamboo. and yes they ate all of that.
Also, there were red pandas. They aren't really pandas, more like raccoons, but still eat bamboo and are just as cuddly.
I got to hold one for 50 quai (about $9) Holding a panda cub would have cost 1000quai ($150) and sitting next to an adult would have been 400quai ($60) (And believe me I was tempted)



And of course some videos of the cuteness.






O.k besides the pandas there is one other important thing to see in Chengdu. Here's a teaser.
The Great Buddha of Leshan. 1,200+ years old and 71 meters tall. Supposedly the biggest Buddha in the world. Literally carved out of a cliff face by a several generations of monks with too much time on their hands.
You could walk down the cliff face to the bottom of the Buddha which was interesting because the cliff was covered with carvings of arhats and Buddhas and guardians all with an Indian feel to them because they're so old. In side one of the temples on the Cliff I stumbled upon some monks saying prayers so you can hear some of the Tibetan prayers.


Mom asked for "real" pictures and here's one. Everyone over the again of 40 plays Mahjong or Go or some other card game in large packs outside restaurants or beside the rivers every afternoon.
Went to a temple in Chengdu call the Green Ram temple. Nothing really distinctive about it except for the large bronze statues of Rams outside the main shrine and people rub for good luck.
All right so I never really explained train station and I wish I had a video of this. People get to the train station about two hours early just to find a place to sit. and then they usually take up three seats sleeping while their kids climb over other people and chairs. Then about thirty minutes before the train departs an announcement is made and everyone rushes to stand in line and push forward towards a closed gate. At the gate their is usually a guard with a gun or baton to control potential rioting. Then everyone pushes and gets as close to the person in front of them as possible for the next thirty minutes even though seats are assigned, the gate is not opening anytime soon and there is plenty of time to leisurely board the train. Finally boarding starts, the gates open and people trip over themselves and their bags to get on the train. I usually just wait in my seat until all this is over and then stroll onboard. Craziness.
I'm now in Beijing, my last stop, revisiting some places from this summer and I'll return to Korea in 3 days. China's been fun. If anything new happens in Beijing I'll post some pictures.