Big Boy

I wish that I had thought to shoot more videos here. I always forget about videos and concentrate mainly on photos. This is one of Kathy's videos. At least one of us was smart enough to get videos ofRead more
Pandas!

We didn't have to walk very far to see more pandas. The pandas almost seem to know that people are looking at them and enjoy doing cute poses like this.
In Dream Land

This panda, like many of the ones we saw, was sleeping but, unlike the others, he seemed to be dreaming. He would be relaxed and then show his teeth again and again. I've seen dogs do this sort ofRead more
Panda Keepers for the Day

I had brought some Lego figures with me, hoping to use them in a few pictures. We didn't have much time left until we were supposed to meet back at the main office so I quickly threw this shotRead more
Lunch for a Panda

Once everyone was back at the meeting place, we headed to the panda pens for another feeding. I guess that it's their lunch time too. I'm so excited for another chance to interact one on one with aRead more
Afternoon Feeding

Getting to the pandas was a long walk, nearly all of it going up hills. I wish that they had a shuttle van, or something similar, to take us there. By the time we arrived to where the pandas wereRead more
Panda Feeding

In this video, you can see how amazed I am by the pandas. I was just awed to be so close to these extremely rare and precious animals.
The Touch

I don't know if this was the same panda as before but it could have been. They all look almost exactly the same. When I fed him this second time, his paw brushed up against my hand and I was able toRead more
Hungry

I'm still in awe that we're so close to these rare animals. I don't know what other places have animal experiences like this but I would love to do them all! I'd especially like to work withRead more
Another Chance

Kathy was given a second chance to feed our panda because he dropped one of the pieces of bamboo that she gave him. She looked so happy to have another chance to interact with the panda. I'm sure theRead more
Happy Meal

Like me, Kathy was simply amazed to be interacting with the pandas. I love seeing her looking so happy! Coming to this place was definitely worth it! I can't think of anywhere else where we could beRead more
The Walk Back

After everyone in our group had a turn feeding the pandas, we walked back the main building where we watched a film about pandas and the sort of work being done here at the Dujiangyan Panda Base. IRead more
Wowotou Time

After the movie was finished, it was time for our last activity at the Dujiangyan Panda Base. We were going to make wowotou for the pandas. Wowotou is a sort of steamed bread for the pandas to eat.Read more
Wowotou Master

Kathy didn't want to form the loaves because she thought it would be too messy. I didn't mind it at all and made several loaves. It was very easy and not messy at all because we had gloves to wear.Read more
Panda Kitchen

Here's a short video of me making the panda cakes. I did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself. I wouldn't want to eat something like this but I'm sure that the pandas will love it.
Food for Tomorrow

Here's the finished wowotou loaves. Once they are cooked, and then cooled, they will be fed to the pandas. I would have liked to see them eating the ones I made but they always eat breads that haveRead more
Closing Ceremonies

After we finished making the pandas food for tomorrow everyone was given certificates, with our names on it, stating that we had participated in the Volunteer Keeper for a Day program. There was alsoRead more
Ready to Leave

Our driver was there waiting for us buy the time we were finishing up at the panda center. It was going to be a long ride back to the hotel in Chengdu but the car was comfortable and the driver wasRead more
Rush Hour

I slept through most of the drive back to the hotel. I'm feeling so much better now that I've gotten a bit of sleep. We've gotten back into the main city of Chengdu but now we're caught up in the rushRead more
Back in the Room

We finally made it back to our hotel room. That bed looks so inviting but, before we sleep, we're going to go out and get something to eat. All I had today is some bananas and Kathy didn't eat muchRead more
Now This is Strange

Before we went out again, I went into the bathroom and noticed that one side of the shower is a glass wall that looks out into the rest of the room. We've never seen something like this before. IsRead more
Going Down?

A Chengdu subway station was right outside of the hotel is very convenient but we have no idea where we might take it to. We've only got this one night in Chengdu so we didn't look into touristRead more
Chengdu by Night

It was great to walk around in Chengdu at night and see everything all lit up. This area looks so different than Dujiangyan, where we saw the pandas.
Exploring Chengdu

Everything is so bright and colorful here! Chengdu is much more beautiful than I had expected it to be. I wish that we were staying longer so that we could see more of the sights. I know that there'sRead more
City Streets

I must admit, I'm very surprised by how clean the streets of Chengdu are. I'm not sure what I was expecting to see but this is even better than I had hoped for.