China Adventure- Part 3 Chengdu

My favorite part.. the Pandas of the Chengdu conservation center!

I have always thought Pandas were cute but in person they are beyond adorable! Although I have learned they are not as cuddly as they look and can be aggressive when threatened. They eat bamboo of course but I didn't know they can be hunters when the opportunity arises, for birds and insects. This conservation center started in 1987 with 6 pandas rescued from the wild due to a bamboo famine. They have now bred over 100 pandas to rehabilitate and breed. There were also peacocks and Red Pandas there too. 

In Chengdu we also went to a traditional tea house, went to People's Park, and saw a face changing show. If you haven't seen Chinese face changing you should look it up on YouTube! It's really magical! You can also see in the top right picture people at the park feeding koi with a baby bottle! 

As a part of our Sichuan province excursions, we traveled to Leshan to see the Grand Buddha that was carved into the red sandstone cliff in the 9th century. Very cool! Also pictured is delicious Sichuan hot pot and our spicy spread of food. They have a peppercorn that actually numbs your tounge and makes it tingly. I personally loved the spicy food, not everyone on our tour agreed...

An unexpected favorite for me was stopping in one of the villages of China, the town of Huanglongxi. The structures dated back to the Qing Dynasty. We were greeted by some cute old ladies selling flower crowns that almost everyone was wearing in the village. You'll see some of the local vendors selling anything from live baby turtles to fried scorpions on a stick. Really authentic! I did not want to press my luck by trying anything but some ice cream and local corn bread..  I did not get sick once on this whole trip which was counter to what I heard experienced by others on the internet. 

China is really a must-see. We loved the tour from Wendy Wu and thought we got so see so much in just the short time we were there. Highly recommended!