Eve and the Pandas

So, the day of the Panda finally came and boy was Eve excited.  Despite the 6.30am start she sprang out of bed like a kid on Christmas Day as soon as the alarm went off (not a regular occurrence I can assure you).  The excitement built as we trundled to the Panda Base just north of Chengdu.  Having jettisoned the tour, we went exploring on our own and I have to admit it was great.  They are amazing creatures - not quite like anything else I have seen.  They look a bit like real bears, but are cuddly and friendly like teddy bears.  They are also able to grip things in the way that a human would.  They enjoy lying on their back whilst feeding too - something I intend to emulate.  I've got a ton of photos and will try to get something accessible on to flickr, but a combination of connection speeds and chinese pop ups are preventing me as things stand.

I thought I might mention some more of the people we have come across on our travels.  On the way to the boat to Yangshuo we chatted to a German couple who we reckon must have been in their late forties.  They have three children - the youngest of which is 15.  They are currently on a year long travelling programme - dropping back into Germany to see their youngest son during school holidays.

In Yangshuo we met another German, Claus, and his Vietnamese gilrfriend Hang.  Claus is a judge in Leipzig, having taken the unusual route of leaving the Western part of Germany and going East.  Oddly, his work took him there - usually it is the other way around (the search for work takes you west).  Hang works at the university in Ho Chi Minh City - we may hook up with them again in Lijiang (where we fly tomorrow).

Where we have been staying for the last couple of nights is the first place we have come across the proper backpacker types - dreadlocks gallore and wannabe hippies strumming unamplified electric guitars as they walk towards their dorms - I kid you not.  They don't seem to be enjoying themselves all that much, but may be that is a future stop on their voyage of discovery.