eats bamboo & shoots

Back row L-R - Terri; Andy; Michelle; Robyn; Alan; BIG Golden Panda; Ali; Scott; & spot the obvious bloody tourist!
Front row L-R - Lori; Ali; Shannon; Tracey; Noralie



Ali's attempt at the new version of 'pin the tail on the donkey' was a winner!


29 October

Xi'an + 16 hours - 1 train - 800km = Chengdu

Concrete monster town of block upon block of apartment homes in pastel shades that become shells with cranes for antannae on + on so many homes. Finally eaten by the mountain range that runs 'til dark and daylight awakens a new city.

Chengdu is in Sichuan, Central China and is home to 4m (not inc Panda's). The gateway to Tibet so loads of monks wander the streets in colourful robes spitting and smoking.

BIG cuddly B+W who'd prob give a shoot of Bamboo (or 2) to be alone with the cause of the irritating sparks that go off + off + off as he eats to flash; sleeps to flash + the white noise when he poops would make a lesser bear constipate. The Panda Research Centre (bit like a zoo.....but with Panda's) is home to 42 bears (inc 9 babies). We click; point; laugh + learn a bit whilst we are here.

I obviously applaud the sentiment of any org that acts to save a species, but these Panda are observed 24/7 + the idea that they will someday be ready to re-introduce to the wild is surely a sad pipe-dream + kind of indicitive of the world we live in.

It is better to be alive in captivity than extinct.....

Introduced to 'Jing-Jing' the mascot for the Bijing 2008 Olympics. The 5 mascots for the Games are:

Bei-Bei - A Fish
Jing-Jing - A Panda
Huan-Huan - Saint Fire for the Games
Ying-Ying - A Tibetan Antelope
Ni-Ni - A Swallow

Bei-Jing-Huan-Ying-Ni means - 'Come to Beijing & Spit!' (actually means Welcome to Beijing......)

'Jing-Jing' is being taken to Beijing in the next few days where she will be 'taught' to wave for the opening ceremony (anyone thinking 'aaaaahhhhh' should first search for 'dancing bears' on the net, & then do a bit more searching for their souls) sure she will be 'encouraged' with sticks; tranquilisers; stones; electric-wands - all for the sake of 'research' - guess that one hurt panda for the sake of the other 41 is worth it.......NOT!!!!!.

Sorry still a cynic - I did enjoy seeing the bears at the centre where they are obviously well cared for. They sat; slept & ate their ways into my heart. I hope the centre is a success; I hope it does work out a way to put the Panda back where it belongs away from the hustle-bustle + I hope that our World is a place that can be a home again. Who Knows, it may be the first step on the road to saving all endangered species.......