We’ve just returned from a trip of a lifetime — a Viking River Cruise appropriately named Imperial Jewels of China — with an itinerary spanning several cities from Beijing to Shanghai including sights and sounds we had only hoped to see. In the next few weeks, we’re posting highlights of the trip and our impressions of the scheduled tourist destinations. But we’ll also be telling you about the people and places of this faraway land we discovered on our own. We hope you’ll join us!
Because we arrived one day early, we headed to the Beijing Zoo for a hoped-for morning glimpse of a Chinese panda who, we were told, might only be visible in the cool early hours of the day.
Panda attire was everywhere — the children mostly (but adults, too) wore hats, shirts, even shoes with pandas to show their love of what must be the official Chinese mascot.
Some posed for my pictures, gesturing with their hands and smiling adorably. And almost everyone looked happy. After all, it’s a day at the zoo!
Parents and grandparents interacted as families do, leading their children to the “best” spots to get the “best” views of the “best” animals . . . just as we do in America!
Visitors poured in, crowding the entryways in order to get there in time. They, too, had been told to move close to the pens where pandas dine heartily on bamboo shoots before going in for a nap.
Once we found the panda section and then the back side of the pens where the green areas were, we moved in close to get a good shot. The pandas, however, were elusive, not in the least interested in performing for tourists from Tennessee . . . or China. We started watching the people also, because wherever there was a large gathering, we knew we might have a chance at a glimpse. Sure enough, it worked!
We crowded in with a lot of other people holding cameras and then it happened: we spied our first panda! He was sitting pretty far away, but within our range of visibility, eating nonchalantly and ignoring the excited visitors, not realizing how energized the crowd was to see him (or her) outside munching away. And to that panda, nothing else mattered.
After watching the panda from the side, we were graced just briefly with an almost frontal view, and the crowd got more fidgety and noisier, getting closer to the fence to take a better shot. Well, so did we! We were like excited children seeing this sight!
Our faces were flushed, not just from the heat. This was big. Really big.
One panda dipped into cooling waters and playfully entertained us with brief pats on the surface.
And then the first panda said Enough . . . and sauntered back inside to the quiet (and privacy) of his domain. That was it. Our first — and only — glimpse of the Beijing pandas.
We moved on, satisfied that we had seen pandas in China, even if only for a brief moment or two. Looking down the pathways, we watched families snapping pictures of little ones posing in the way only children can do.
Then we ducked into a gift shop where panda-monium broke loose! From umbrellas on the ceiling to purses, key rings, stamps, books, and backpacks on the shelves, panda souvenirs reined supreme.
We didn’t, however, see anyone asking to try on these hats — not in the 95-degree heat, I guess. But they definitely had the cute factor going for them.
In this heat, we mostly saw lots of ice cream eating . . .
and posing for pictures on the beautifully landscaped grounds of the zoo.
Seeing a Chinese panda at the Beijing Zoo — it doesn’t get much better. Or does it? We headed through an arched walkway searching for other animals before negotiating the real zoo for us — the Chinese subway and other adventures in Beijing!
If you’ve been to the Beijing Zoo, tell us what you saw. And if you’ve been to China, we’d love to know your favorite spots. It’s an adventure, for sure.
For more information . . .
Viking River Cruises http://www.vikingrivercruises.com
Beijing Zoo — http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/beijing/30963.htm
Danny Breslin
Pandas! I love pandas, they’re just about my favourite animal, apart from penguins. I wrote about this in my book “Me & Gus on the Roof of the World”, maybe it’s a black and white thing because my cat Milly is black and white too. Yet that doesn’t explain why I have an aversion to zebras, I mean how can you trust a horse that is dressed in camouflage?
Rusha Sams
You are too funny! I’ve got to download your book and read it! Thanks for reminding me of the title!
Danny Breslin
Really? Oh thanks so much. I hope you enjoy it.
Trisha Clark
Love reading your blog on China. We are taking our Danube River cruise, with before and after trips to Prague and Budapest, in late August. I will put on our email list for our trip! Panda are my all-time FAVORITE animal!!
Rusha Sams
Wow — a Danube cruise! I would love to do one of those. Sounds great. Hope you’ll share some of your experiences with us.
Doris Carter
Hi Rusha and Bert…How much fun just viewing these pictures! Thanks for sharing. Doris
Rusha Sams
Thanks for stopping by our blog and leaving a comment! Our trip was great, but we’re glad to be home!
cmmoxley
Those panda pics are adorable, Rusha! Looking forward to more reports!
Amy
Love these panda photos! We visited China, Beijing, Xi’an, Guilin, and Shanghai in late May. It was a fabulous trip!
Rusha Sams
WE made it to all those places except for Guilin. Wish we had gone there, too. Loved China!! Keep looking. I hope next week to post more pics from our trip.
Amy
Looking forward to seeing more pics of your trip. Here is a post for Guilin if you have a moment http://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2013/06/08/weekly-photo-challenge-fleeting/
Rusha Sams
Thanks so much!!! I have to travel vicariously most of the time, so these blogs and links are a great source of information and inspiration!
localtravelerns
I love pandas!! We saw some in Discovery Bay while in Hong Kong! I haven’t been to mainland china but my favorite spots in HK were the Tian Tau Buddha in Lantau, and sneaker street! Would love to go back! Is this your first visit to China?
Rusha Sams
It’s my first visit, and we loved what we saw! I hope to continue the series after I get home from the beach. Would love to see sneaker street. In fact, I wish we had extended our trip to include Hong Kong. Love the area and people!
gallivance.net
I love all the panda gear in the gift shop Rusha! And you’re lucky to have seen a panda at panda central HQ. I’m looking forward to your China trip posts. ~James
Rusha Sams
The gift shops and street vendors really had the panda thing going. It was fun, and my granddaughter is now the recipient of a kicky hat and panda coin purse. Love picking up travel take-homes!
Piggletino
Oh the panda is absolutely adorable! Guess he must have been eating away while everyone was trying to grab a nice photo of him! 🙂
Rusha Sams
He paid no attention to any of us!!! But we were all over him, snapping pictures and moving as close as we could get!
Linda Arthur Tejera
What a wonderful trip. And who doesn’t just love Pandas? 🙂
Rusha Sams
It was a thrill for us to see them, for sure!
Mary Gilmartin
Enjoyed seeing your photograph from your trip and the pandas seem to love their bamboo no matter where they live and who is watching them.
Rusha Sams
Thanks for your comment. We’re just glad we got to see them on our one-and-only chance!