May 17:1

The only real thing we had planned for Saturday was the Beijing Zoo and their Giant Panda exhibit. It had been our original plan to take a trip out to Chengdu to see them there. Considering the earthquake really affected that area (as well as Sichuan, and Xi'an actually--though very marginally [Incidentally, I happen to be writing this email there, after a day with the Terracotta Warriors, but more on that later:).]), I'm glad we stayed away. But I would not miss the pandas!

We started out late that day, devoting much of our morning to figuring out what we would do with the rest of our stay in China. As it was, we had only actually arranged to stay at that hotel (Xiyuan Hotel) for a total of five nights. We ended up deciding to move to a hotel "closer" to town. We were paying on average 30 yuan one-way into and out of the city center (at about half an hour each way, more in traffic), and we wanted to save some of that cab fare for more fun things--like shopping!:) So it was that I found Guangxi Plaza, where we would be moving our belongings to on Sunday.

We also looked into going to Xi'an and also a side trip to Guilin, having decided that Xiamen was just too expensive. We only arranged the other hotel, however, and went about the rest of our day.

Our hotel was right across the street from the Beijing Zoo, so all we had to do was cross the pedestrian overpass, withdraw some money (did I mention that I've been burning through cash like the Chinese burn through incense at Lama Temple?), and head down the street to the Zoo. It was utterly lackluster, but we knew what we were there for. We had been warned by Walt's friend Jonathan (with whom we had dinner on Wednesday night) that the pandas can be a letdown if they're just eating or not in the mood. However, after feeling like we would be disappointed by the end of it, we actually got to see them up to their usual antics. There were about five of them in separate cages--and there was even a baby panda! That one was the cutest and the most fun to watch, since s/he was unabashed about eating in public, gnawing on the stalks of bamboo and even climbing up a tree at one point (we have it on video). We felt it was well worth the visit. We lingered a while, hoping to come across the Lesser (red) Pandas, but their exhibit looked to be under construction. The whole Zoo (and much of China) seemed to be under construction. We stopped at "the Australian cafe" for some coffee then went to see the big cats, since I'd seen a picture of the snow leopard they supposedly had on exhibit.

Before we went, we'd heard and read that some of the animals on display were pitiful to behold, heart-wrenching--and that's exactly what the big cat 'mountain' was like. Here were these huge cats (lions, tigers, jaguars, and a panther, I think, and maybe a cougar) penned up in cages smaller than some doghouses. It must've been something like 12x25x18, if I had to guess roughly. There were cute, but all hopeless looking. I was esp. touched by the panther/jaguar (I don't know which it was) that reminded me and William of our Feisty at home. He was this great big black kitty, prowling around like he was king of the (tiny) castle. And just like Feistel, he would run up to the door of his jail cell and scratch against it, or 'shadow-box,' as we call it. It made me miss my kitty;(