Just arrived on a 18hr over-night sleeper train from Kunming to Chengdu (the capital of Sichuan). Its just like I remember, big, sprawling, concrete and dirty. Incidently, I also was able to cram in a couple hours at the Panda breeding and research observatory. And the rumors are true, pandas (adult, middling, and baby variety) are all equally and absurdly cute. The Chinese name for Pandas is "bear-cat", and after observing them, they do possess features of both animals - the size of a bear, the disposition of a cat. Unfortunately no pictures because my battery was dead!

Next: Tagong (Lhagang) and the Tibetan grasslands for some Dharma teachings