The hostel opffered a trip to a panda sactuary. Mel and Steve didn't go cos it left at 7.30am but I decided it was worth it. I think I rather increased my carbon footprint by going as they drove a minibus half an hour each way just for me!

The place was really big (took a while to get to the first panda!) and very well presented (it had the nicest toilets I'd encountered in China, even if they were squaters!). therre were loads of pandas (when I eventually found them). They were split into different areas depending on age ('adult', 'sub-adult', 'cubs') although they didn't seem very different in size. The cubs were perhaps and little more playful. Considering they are called giant pandas, they're really not very big! I'm sure they're smaller than most bears, about 4 feet on all fours and perhaps 6 feet standing up. there were baby pandas too (thought they weren't really young). They were sweet and very funny to watch playing (sorry no photos cos it was through glass and the signs said not to). there were also red pandas which are much smaller and look like racoons.

We only had one full day in Chengdu. In the afternoon we visited a Buddhist Temple. We had to get the bus there and it took us about an hour and a half! We got off too early, wandered around, asked a few people (who all told us different things) then finally realised we were in completely the wrong place. A girl wioth very good english helped us to get another bus to the temple and we eventually arrived. The monastry had a vegetarian restaurant (the reason we chose it over the many there are on Chengdu

The menu was a bit confusing as it was all meat dished but they turned out to be vegetable substitutes.

In the evening we went to a Tibetan restaurant for dessert. We ordered two yoghurt dishes and a walnut one. One yoghurt arrived (they do tend to serve dishes one at a time quite slowly). We ate it and waited. Finally we asked about the other dishes (in sign language as the waitresses didn't speak any english). A long time later the walnuts appeared so we ate that then waited. We tried to explain to the waitress that we had ordered two yoghurts but only one had come but we obviously didn't quite get the right message across. After we'd waited a bit more and tried to leave they brought TWO yoghurts. Communicating in other languages is so much fun!