Hanging With the Pandas.

We visited the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, about 10 km outside of ChengDu. In addition to seeing several pandas, ranging from newborn infants to lazy elders, there was a panda museum and a film about panda breeding habits so graphic that it made me blush.

(Comment by Heather: Most days Alex will say to me, "I want to sleep in, so don't rush me in the morning." But, when it came time to visit the pandas, he sure changed his tune. He read in our guidebooks that the best time to see the pandas is during their morning feedings. Alex was so excited about the opportunity to see the pandas in action, that he kept telling me to be ready first thing in the morning because he wasn't going to wait for me! And, to make things worse, he kept singing "Its Panda Time," in M.C. Hammer rapper style).