Trips

Mon, 10/6/14 – Chengdu
        We came to Chengdu to see Pandas and we saw many at the Panda Preserve. Our trip through the Panda Preserve was a China highlight.  We saw lots of giant pandas and red pandas eating, climbing, and playing.  Both giant and red pandas are endangered.  The giant panda has existed for 8 million years.  They were on the earth with ice age animals.  The reserve has about 120 giant pandas.  In the reserve they live an average of 28 years, much older than in the wild.  They are fed bamboo from the mountains of China and pancakes made of bamboo powder, salt, sugar, and egg.  The females are artificially inseminated because the males in captivity have forgotten how to do it.  The female is pregnant for 84 to 150 days and most have twins.  Pandas are called yearlings for the first year.  They develop their black markings when only 1 to 2 weeks old.  They get their first tooth in about 90 days.

Chengdu Panda Preserve	Panda mascots
"Raking" leaves
	Momma and baby
	Taking a bath
Red pandas are sometimes aggressive when among people. They are fed bamboo and squash.
	The preserve had a rose garden with the hibiscus trees that Chengdu is famous for.  The flowers look more like peonies than Hawaiian hibiscus.  There is a lake full of carp and black swans from Australia.  There were several fluffy baby swans.
Black swans	Babies
We went to lunch and had Sichuan food.  Some of it is rather spicy.  We had tofu noodles, smoked tofu, sticky rice balls in sorghum, dumplings, etc. We then walked around the touristy village neighborhood jammed with people and street vendors.  I found a shop selling scoops of “New Zealand” ice cream and enjoyed chocolate and mint chocolate chip while sitting under a tree in the heat and humidity.
Fancy manhole cover	Fancy manhole cover
Interesting view of the neighboring roof from our hotel window	Well lived in apartment building
Sign in the bathroom in our room

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