Cha cha cha!

What a dance they do for this little hot drink. Pour, smile, stir, smile, water, smile. But tea houses were one of the best parts of Chendu. Tea and wine, but not together...yet!

Street Walkin'

Strolling around Chendu was no easy feat. Found a few friends to help me along the way. Some shoulders to stand on.

I thought every street in china would look the same but boy was I wrong. Most of them look western. Then there are the ancient streets. I love them! You can get fried duck wings, cotton candy and an ear cleaning all in the same place. Hen how!

Panda-monium

Well not quite. I was the noisy one. Oooooo and Ahhhh all the way through the park. What fun! First, I put on my safari hat because I knew I was going on an adventure to see wild bears....then I took it off because they just sat around chewing bamboo. The young ones were awake. The babies slept. The Red Panda didn't seem to be related to the Giant Panda, but they have the same last name so I guess they are cousins. I learned so much at the Research Base here in Chengdu and I hope they can continue the program for years to come. But by the looks of those computers they need an upgrade to take this into the next decade. ;-)

Chengdu what you want!

So I've arrived. Nice city. Packed full of people for the holiday. Lucky I found this room with Cici's House. A nice place to visit. My room came with a welcome bowl of pork rib soup and a bag filled with a Philippine candy treat. Not together of course. Since I only drink I enjoyed the broth, gave the pork bone back and saved the candy to lure new friends. I also found a box of this mosquito repellant. But I don't think that was a gift more a staple in this dense green. I wish I could take it with me when I see the pandas!!!