Psalm 104:24 “O Lord, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your possessions.”
The kids woke up excited about today’s plans. Today was the day to visit the pandas! As soon as we walked out of our hotel, I knew it was going to be a little miserable. It was only 84, but there was super high humidity. At one point as we were walking forever to try to spot a panda, we all were a little grumpy. It was hot, there were people everywhere, and we weren’t spotting any pandas. We finally found some! Although the younger ones weren’t as active as last time I was here, it was still fun to see about 12 pandas. Our timing was a little off. They had moved the bigger “babies” to another location and the new panda babies aren’t due until August.
All the sleeping pandas! They like it cool, so today meant finding shade and sleeping the heat off. We did find a few just sitting in the shade munching on bamboo.
From the panda preserve, we headed to visit Shan’s orphanage. Before our appointed time, we found a nearby place to eat. Shan was proud to show us a similar place to how he lived. He confidently walked up the streets and showed his sisters what China was like.
The noodle place was recommended by some locals from the neighborhood. They were all playing mahjong. We discovered that the noodle place was owned by two brothers. When I am at places like this, I cannot think about how the dishes were washed or maybe how this place wouldn’t pass code in America…I just buckle down and smile and eat. The noodles were delicious and a little spicy.
Meanwhile, we drew the attention of the whole neighborhood. People came and took pictures/videos and Juyi said the girls will probably be a hit on TikTok.
Shan’s orphanage isn’t the original location he was at, but there were people who still remember him. The old building has been demolished and they are temporarily here until the new building is finished in 2-3 years. The staff couldn’t believe how big Shan had gotten. Unfortunately, his foster mom was out of town helping her sick mom, but they were able to do a video chat.
This is the woman that traveled to Beijing to get Shan after he had his amputation surgery. She totally remembered him. 🩷
Shan told me that they were having a birthday celebration for some of the kids, which brought back memories for him. He said most of the kids left in the orphanage (about 200+), are kids with special needs. He said he saw a lot of kids in wheelchairs and with Down syndrome (the super power extra chromosome). I didn’t get to go in with him since I had the two girls with me. Only the parents, the child adopted, and a translator can go in. Joella did get a peak since she had to use the restroom and there was no where else to go.
The underpasses in the city were so vibrant with ivy and beautiful flowers planted above in planters.
We then rushed to grab our luggage and catch our train to Leshan, outside of Chengdu. We will spend two nights here and see some of the sights. Sichuan didn’t disappoint with more beautiful scenery from the train.
View from our hotel. Priced are amazing here! We have been paying about $70 a night, which includes a huge breakfast buffet (I’ll take a picture tomorrow). Everything from congee, fresh fruit, a ton of Chinese hot dishes, eggs, and some western options.
Dinner tonight at a place recommended by the hotel. It didn’t disappoint! You grabbed a stainless steel bowl and grabbed bamboo sticks of food you wanted to eat. They had all kind of vegetables and meat. They would then deep fry it and bring it to the table. Speaking of which, the tables were like going back to kindergarten. It was an overall unique and delicious experience!
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