The National Treasure – The Giant Panda

Indigenous of China, the giant panda has become the symbol of the nation. There are some things that must be seen when visiting this country. The pandas are one of them. After the hour long bus ride to the north side of Chengdu, and after all of the hassle that preceded the visit to the park, I was afraid that the trip would not live up to expectations. That was nowhere near the case. The panda reserve more than delivered.

Having visited several zoos, we should have expected the scene that awaited us. The park was filled with children. There must have been several hundred, maybe a thousand children visiting. As we walked in, we were literally mobbed by children shouting “nide mingzi, nide mingzi” or “your name, your name”. They wanted our autographs. For the first time in my life, truly could understand how Michael Jordan must feel. I had people who only came up to just past my waist (children are people too), shoving pieces of paper at me, and shouting with glee, just to get my barely legible signature scrawled for them. And my jump shot is not nearly as good as his.

Once we finally made our way past the adoring fans, we set out to do some gawking of our own. It was a beautiful, clear day and the animals seemed to really be enjoying it. Hence we were treated to very active animals. There is just something special about observing nature. It is like it is what we were meant to do! There is only so much that I can say, so I hope you enjoy the pictures and the video. - Frank