Awwwwwwwww

I told you all that this was going to happen, expect this post to be unashamedly cute and girly. The pandas were adorable beyond words. We got there early in the morning, in time to watch them being fed, the adults are enormous and the cubs are so small and cuuuute. No tiny babies, wrong time of year.
You are allowed to hold one of the cubs, for $140, ouch. About 80 pounds, which Wendy does not have just lying around. A couple of American tourists (sorry if that sound derogatory but even the American backpackers I've met hate American tourists) seemed to have nothing better to do with $300 though, we all took advantage of the panda being so close and took our own photos too, nicely cropped so you can't even tell who's holding it.
After they'd all been fed they got let out into the enclosures where they had the choice of playing or sleeping and eating some more. Most of then took the sleeping option, four were all huddled up together in a corner, reckon there had been a wild party the night before and they were all hung over. Saw the red pandas too which are like ginger raccoons and very cute. Got to feel kind of sorry for them with their bigger cousins always being the star attraction, at least the red ones were active so we got to watch them running around.
None of the other people I was with knew quite how obsessed I am with pandas so I had to restrain myself and act like a normal person, but they were sooooo cuuuute. Huge panda gift shop too but because there is so much here with pandas on I have reolved to only buy it if it's really special, most of the stuff they had I already have. I couldn't come away empty handed though so i did buy a badge just so I could say it came from the Panda Zoo.

When I got back to the hostel I had a shower and did washing again, my pyjamas needed doing and it's hot enough here that they'll be dry by tonight. Went and found the secret chairman Mao museum which is essentially just the home of some guy who took the whole cult of personality thibng a bit too far. You name it he had it, every badge, book, poster and commemorative plate ever made. Freak. Went to another monastery too, this one had magic goats but their goaty magic did not work on me. The theory is that if you have any achs or pains you touch the goat (statue, not real live one) where you hurt and it gets better instantly. HAd a bit of a dodgy stomach all day so I rubbed the goats belly. Feels better now a few hours later so maybe it's just a delayed effect.

Got some spict szechuan snacks to bring back for dinner, ate them with chips because, well because I felt like eating chips, don't care how unChineesy that sounds. What I thought was a noodley thing tyrned out to be chicken intestine, mmm chewy. And I'm adventerous up to a point but I draw the line at duck and rabbit heads. Maybe I'll try one later when Sarah joins m, no point eating something that gross without a witness.

Leshan tomorrow to see the world biggest Budda and I've just been told that student ID gets you in for Y35 instead of Y90. Hooray. So don't forget yours Sarah!