Ice climbing in Shuangqiao Valley, Sichuan, ChinaDecember 28, 2005- January 15, 2006
Recognizance of the valley and rest day in Rilong city Wolong Panda Reserve |
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Wolong Panda Reserve Halfway between the Shuangqiao Valley and Chengdu is the world famous Wolong Panda Reserve. On the way back to the airport we stopped to have a look at these beautiful animals,
A panda eating its favorite food - bamboo. |
We arrived at Wolong Panda Hotel in the evening before going to the panda reserve and I had really looked forward to a warm bed and a warm bath......
Reminds me of the Bernese Mountain Dog - Luna! |
I really got my hopes up when I saw the fancy lobby - it was a new hotel!
This one really knew how to make a performance! |
But was greatly disappointed when we entered the ice cold lobby.
Relaxing after a great meal?! |
Thus another cold night, but at least we got a lukewarm bath.
I wish I could sleep like that! |
Well, all that was quickly forgotten when we got to the panda reserve. It was the first time I saw a live panda - and they had lots of them! They actively breed the pandas in order to put the offspring back into nature and it looked very convincing! At the same time the pandas were extremely cute and they looked like they had a good time.
A baby panda eating a bamboo biscuit - yum yum! |
Well, that was the end of the trip. We continued on to Chengdu and took off the next morning. It had been a fantastic trip which had combined excellent ice climbing with a great cultural experience. All the Chinese we met were extremely nice to us and I was constantly amazed about their hospitality. I can highly recommend to go there if you like the vertical ice world.
Four baby pandas drinking a bowl of milk. Click on the picture to see a QuickTime movie of the four baby pandas.
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