Pandas - Gem's version

So one thing that had to be done in Chengdu was to visit the world famous panda sanctuary, I think avid Blue Peter/Newsround watchers will be aware of the place and it's work. We had to get up early in order to see them doing something/anything and the morning is apparently the best time. So off we trot to the 7 seater minibus (all 8 of us) ... Amy is the last one to get to the bus and is relegated to sitting on the floor. Apparently we are transferring to another minibus in about 10 minutes though so it's all ok.

Turns out that it's just Amy getting on the other minibus though...d'oh. Forced separation does not register in the parents "DONT EVER LEAVE EACH OTHER'S SIDE" speech, but luckily we both survived. We go and see some pandas that are sleeping then some that are eating, then to see some baby ones, not that you could tell from the size of them. We also saw some red pandas which were much more lively. Then they gave us a film documentary on how the breed the pandas, some quite graphic scenes to be honest...not what we were expecting at 11 o clock in the morning, then we had the pleasure of looking at baby pandas and panda organs pickled in jars at the museum!

Just as we were leaving about 400 school kids turned up, no doubt to adhere to the PLEASE REMAIN QUIET signs all around the park :)

We spent the afternoon at the hostel and in the evening we went for some food with the people from the panda trip. We think they were finnish.

Now here's where mine and Amy's story's differ...we went for hot pot food, which is where you have a huge bowl of soup in the middle of the table on a hob and they bring lots of food for you to boil in it and eat. Brilliant idea since all the other food in China is so greasy. It was all going well until one of the guys starts pushing a a fish towards me through the soup making jaws noises...so I said to Amy, "that's a fish right, with fins?" and she said "yes Gemma" (as she does!) and I said, "but it wont have a head right?" and she siad "no"...turns out the fish and its fins are just flavouring the soup, cos everyone loves fish soup don't they! Then another guy dips his chopsticks into the soup to pick out the fish...and it does have a head...it gives a whole new meaning to the Big Dead Fish Restaurant along with the cabbage and the fish insides covering the rest of the food I felt a bit sick. Now I'll admit that I am a little fussy when it comes to food and I would have preferred it if there wasn't a fish floating in my dinner, luckily the guy next to me ate the fish(?) only for the waitress to then bring some more fish heads over and put them in the soup. It hasn't been my favourite meal of the trip so far and has only proven that I am squeamish when it comes to dead fish :)