The Chengdu Zoo

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On Monday, July 23, we went to the Chengdu Zoo. We mainly went to see the pandas since they are native to Sichuan province. We went there by long bus ride, and then the bus let us out on this little dirt path with no zoo in site. We were told to ride in a little motorbike cart (they're everywhere in Chengdu), so we did. It took us down this bumpy dirt path. I kept thinking we were going to fall out and die! But we eventually emerged onto a big main road by the zoo entrance. We had a delightful time at the zoo. I even made a friend: a Buddhist monk! The pandas were the highlight, though. We went to see them first thing, but all we saw then was a napping, lazy-looking Giant panda. When we returned at the end of the day, though, we got to see a Giant panda enjoying its bamboo dinner. We also saw the red pandas, which looked a bit like foxes. I've posted a bunch of pictures. I may not get the labels right on some of the cats or monkeys, though!

For supper that night, we went to a restaurant and had rice noodles in this boiling soup. The soup is so hot that, once it arrives at your table, other stuff like meat and vegetables are added and cooked in the heat of the soup. It was pretty good. To finish off our day, we went to another touristy-area with little shops in old Chinese buildings.

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Photos

Dressed in Style!
Mandrills are the most colorful primate.

Scary Insect
I'm not sure what this was - it was sitting in the pathway at the zoo. I was told not to get too close, though, as it can apparently pinch!

Friendly Elephant
This elephant actually waved to the crowd with his trunk several times! It was very neat to see!

My New Boyfriend!
This was my first sighting of a Buddhist monk, so I asked if I could take his picture. Then he asked for a picture with me!

Poor Polar Bear
I suppose that the large chunk of ice is supposed to make the Polar bear feel a little more at home. It looked a little pathetic on a hot day, though.

Anything for Food!
These bears (perhaps Malaysian Bears?) were quite entertaining! They were more than happy to stand for the crowds above as long as food was being thrown.

More Bears
... or maybe these were the Malaysian bears... they're a different kind than the last picture. They were also doing trick for food.