Pandas Revisited

The dentists at the clinic where Kirk has been working on campus wanted to take us to the Panda Base with them.  We enjoyed it so much last November, that we were happy to go back for another visit.

Pandas









Do you remember the cute baby boy panda I blogged about in November?

The boy is on the left, his twin sister is on the right with the pink blanket.

Well, he grew up!  This is ChengShuang at 8 months old.

Karen and ChengShuang














I didn't expect this when we first went to the Panda Base, but Kirk saw the tourist group lining up to go hold the panda, and quickly decided I needed to hold one.  It used to be pretty cheap, but then the movie "Kung Fu Panda" came out, and the price went through the roof.  Kirk said this is my birthday, Valentine's, Christmas and anniversary present for the next three years!  It was pretty fun to hold him--he was pretty docile with that honey-dipped bamboo to chew on.  He was so soft and furry.  Wish I could take him home!

There were not as many active pandas this time, so we were glad we had gone in November.  We hadn't seen the Swan Lake before, so we went by to check it out.

A peacock, not a swan.

Black swans

Koi in Swan Lake


The koi are literally crawling over each other to get to the food.  Crazy!









The panda is the symbol representing Chengdu, and often, China itself.  You see evidences all over town, even on the hood of the taxi cabs.

So it was nice of Kirk to give me this gift.  I can add it to my list--in my life, I've been able to:

hold a lion 
          
        kiss an ostrich

                        ride a camel


and cuddle a panda.