2009 Anniversary Vacation Day 6: Chengdu

We began our final vacation day with another satisfying Sheraton breakfast buffet. It was very similar to the Jiuzhaigou Sheraton's buffet, but there was one addition worth mentioning...

This is "tofu flower" (directly translated) and it is normally served as a soft, sweet dessert. In Sichuan, however, a savory-spicy sauce is poured over it (a very Sichuan-esque thing to do ;>), and that's what you see here.

After breakfast, and before heading to the airport to catch our flight back to Hong Kong, we had one very special destination to visit: the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. (Something of a panda reservation/zoo, but with a large research focus on maintaining and expanding the world's panda population. We only had a few hours there, but it was such a wonderful place that we could have easily spent days.) Time to dash off in another taxi!

In case you forgot, there are lots of bikes in Chengdu

Arriving at the Research Base main entrance

Entering the Base's bamboo-canopied trails

At the nursery, giant panda cubs play

...or just chill out

...and wrestle
(click here for the 720p HD version, then click the "HD" icon)

Adolescent giant pandas having their bamboo breakfast

It's good to be the king!

Red pandas resting

...and looking for action

I can't say why these guys are called pandas, but they sure are cute (though the direct Chinese translation of "panda" is "bear cat" and red pandas definitely match that description)

A red panda encounter - if you listen closely, you can hear one hiss!
(click here for the 720p HD version, then click the "HD" icon)

An adult giant panda shucks a bamboo stem

The pleasures of a private bamboo meal
(click here for the 720p HD version, then click the "HD" icon)

An adult giant panda spied at a distance in his jungle gym

Katherine cuddling with Bei Bei, a giant panda cub

What a lovely family!


Our full visit with Bei Bei
(click here for the 720p HD version, then click the "HD" icon)

After hanging out with Bei Bei, we were presented with these certificates

Spending time amongst the pandas (and holding one) was very much a highlight of our trip and the perfect way to draw it to a close.

If you couldn't already tell, we felt like this was a magnificent getaway week and would highly recommend each and every place we visited.

Next up: Yes, there's more! I'll be adding three supplemental vacation posts focusing on a few areas that the primary posts neglected.