Untitled Document

SICHUAN PROVINCE: BEYOND THE PANDAS

When the way was blocked by cows, Rebecca was ready to turn back, but the placid animals were easily moved out of the way.

After a short walk along the trail, we came to what looked like an impassable slide. There was a small trail (even though you can't see it here) and Diana, Tana, and Pat wanted to go on. Ed went ahead to reconnoiter and said the trail was narrow but passable. After a short but intense discussion, Stanley agreed that that the three of us (and Rebecca and Ed) could go on if we promised to be very careful; the others would go back. Pat was just finishing the crossing when Ed turned around and said "Be careful, Stanley." To her surprise, Stanley was following them over the goat track and back onto the main trail. From there, Rebecca led the five of us on a walk along a trail that included some great scenery--not that we were usually able to keep up with her.

While Rebecca plowed ahead, the rest of us stopped to explore caves and take pictures along the way.

It isn't clear whether Rebecca ever would have stopped, but when we hit a washed-out bridge, we had to turn back.

Meanwhile, on the way back to the bus, Chuck had to face down a threatening goat (ah, now we know where the goat track came from).

In Bi Feng Xia we ran into a group of kids who thought that we were just as interesting as we thought they were and whose parents insisted on getting pictures with us--a real example of non-verbal communication in action.

We also visited a zoo in Bi Feng Xia.

The first part of the visit was by bus that drove through the enclosure. We saw lions. . .

Once off the bus, Ed had a close encounter with a couple of cousins

and we started off on what would prove to be a grueling trek through the park. More and more steps. . .

Julie and Carmen wisely decided to take an easier way.

Birdwatchers Ed and Pat had hoped to see this Chinese pheasant in the wild, but had to settle for the ones in the aviary.

The zoo's most interesting residents were the white tigers and white lions.


Our guide, Rebecca, was eager for us to see other parts of Sichuan. Once she had "the sign," she led us through a number of treks, usually at a noticeably brisk pace.	One evening in Chengdu we went to a Sichuan opera.



While in Wolong we visited an elementary school. The students, who board during the week, had already left for the weekend, but we did have a chance to talk briefly to a math teacher, who told us about the students and the curriculum.

One afternoon in Wolong we went for a walk through a local valley to get an appreciation for the natural beauty of the area.

	When the way was blocked by cows, Rebecca was ready to turn back, but the placid animals were easily moved out of the way.
After a short walk along the trail, we came to what looked like an impassable slide. There was a small trail (even though you can't see it here) and Diana, Tana, and Pat wanted to go on. Ed went ahead to reconnoiter and said the trail was narrow but passable. After a short but intense discussion, Stanley agreed that that the three of us (and Rebecca and Ed) could go on if we promised to be very careful; the others would go back. Pat was just finishing the crossing when Ed turned around and said "Be careful, Stanley." To her surprise, Stanley was following them over the goat track and back onto the main trail. From there, Rebecca led the five of us on a walk along a trail that included some great scenery--not that we were usually able to keep up with her.


While Rebecca plowed ahead, the rest of us stopped to explore caves and take pictures along the way.

It isn't clear whether Rebecca ever would have stopped, but when we hit a washed-out bridge, we had to turn back.	Meanwhile, on the way back to the bus, Chuck had to face down a threatening goat (ah, now we know where the goat track came from).

In Bi Feng Xia we ran into a group of kids who thought that we were just as interesting as we thought they were and whose parents insisted on getting pictures with us--a real example of non-verbal communication in action.

We also visited a zoo in Bi Feng Xia.	The first part of the visit was by bus that drove through the enclosure. We saw lions. . .

and tigers. . .	and bears (oh my!)

Once off the bus, Ed had a close encounter with a couple of cousins	and we started off on what would prove to be a grueling trek through the park. More and more steps. . .

Julie and Carmen wisely decided to take an easier way.	Birdwatchers Ed and Pat had hoped to see this Chinese pheasant in the wild, but had to settle for the ones in the aviary.

The zoo's most interesting residents were the white tigers and white lions.