Wallace's Wonderful Adventure: Reece and Owen's Birthday/First Day In Chengdu

Happy 13th birthday to our special angels, Reece and Owen. We love and miss them every single day.

Our driver picked us up at 7:30. First stop was a museum. When we walked in it reminded us of Xian. There were pits that had been dug out where they had found all kinds of relics. We then went into 5 other buildings to look at the items they found. It wasn't the most interesting but it wasn't too bad.

Loaded up.

Gas station.

At the Jinsha museum.

Ready to explore.

Following Echo, our guide.

Family photo with the sun and 4 birds symbol.

At the dig site.

Deep in conversation.

Grace had the hiccups...again. 7 times
on this day.

In this pit they found this mask.

They found the roots to this tree.

Second was a Tao museum. We saw more of what was found in the pits. It kind of got old looking at this stuff.

Echo was on a mission.

Riding the escalator.

The real gold mask they found.

They tied their hands behind their backs.
They all had this hairdo too.

Looking like they are thrilled.

Neat.

Waiting for the ladies to get out of the bathroom.

Cute kid.

Leaving the museum.

Third was people's park. This was a real taste of china. We saw statues, buildings, temples, people doing tai chi, fan dancing, line dancing, singing, etc. We walked around the park. We saw a lady making sugar animals on a stick. It was the first time Cameron tried one. He spun a wheel and it landed on a mouse. The lady made the sugar treat in the shape of a mouse. Everyone tried it and no one liked it. Luckily it was about 70 cents because Cameron threw it in the garbage.

Awesome bike.

We all wanted Scott to get this outfit and wear it.
Sweet!

Echo was giving us so much information.

The beast stepping on Griffin's head.

We thought this was a turtle but it was a dragon.

Scary.

A group of kids were drawing the temple.
This boy was 10.

You were suppose to rub this animal where you were having
problems...throat if sore throat, stomach if belly ached. It
was suppose to heal you.

Cool.

More and more info. Some fake they were listening
better than others.

Walking to the fun side of the park.

A little boy writing with water.

We were in a Pagoda listening to tons of Chinese
people singing.

True Chinese writing.

The sign was funny.

The lady making the mouse candy treat.

Griffin was thinking "Um, I don't think you
should eat that."

Griffin taking a taste.

Kelly tasted it too.

We ventured into the bomb tunnel.

If war breaks out this was where people would run for shelter.

Where the tunnel was.

After walking around the park we ate lunch. It was a little restaurant in the park. The whole menu was in Chinese. We just let Todd figure out what to order. We knew this wasn't going to be pretty. Luckily they had giant cold beer to ease the adult pain. For lunch we had dumplings and fried rice. The Wallace boys liked the dumplings. The Ronnebeck's liked the rice. Griffin and Grace did try the dumpling though. Grace and Griffin thought it was funny that people would walk by and look in, see them, and stare or take pictures. Loving the rock star lifestyle in China.

Lunch time.

Kelly and her BIG beer.

The menu.

Grace became a chopstick professional.

Grace is trying a dumpling.

Takes a bite.

She needed a Sprite chaser.

Griffins turn to try the dumpling.

Thinking about it.

Nope, needed a water chaser.

During lunch Griffin asked if we could try a chines restaurant in Tianjin. I told him they would all taste the same. He then said "Well, can we at least try Papa John's again? It was really good." Of course we can Griffin.

After we ate Griffin looked at me and said "When is the food coming?" I said "Unfortunately Griffin this was the food." The look on his face was hilarious. Not impressed with the Chinese lunch.

After lunch we hit the bathroom. The smell was not good. First time Kelly gagged in China. First time everyone used a squatty potty. Success. The boys went in their bathroom and it was like a trough. According to the boys Griffin asked if that's where they go. After he heard the answer was yes he said "Let it rain boys." Too funny.

You wouldn't want to fall into that water.

Making it happen in the bathroom. ICK!

Outside of the park.

Big place.

Back in the van and off to the panda research center. It was an hour drive. Our guide, Echo, started telling me how expensive our tour was and he could have gotten it for us for half price. He was subbing for our real tour guide. Too late to tell me now we paid too much. He would not let it go. It was annoying. Plus I told him we went to Chengdu for the pandas and he was upset that we didn't come for the history and culture. Seriously, we can only take on so much Chinese culture.

We arrived at the panda research center and walked in. It was hot! We saw our first panda and watched him for a minute. We continued up some hills to the registration center. We didn't see any other pandas.

Making our way to the Panda Research Center.

These kids could be police officers.

Check out the built in air conditioning on this kid.

Family photo with a panda.

Don't mind if we do visit the pandas.

It was hot.

The bathroom was in the middle of this bamboo.

Griffin and Cameron getting some shade.

The Research Center was pretty.

Making our way out of the bathroom.

Hey big girl.

Walking around.

Looking for food.

Oh yeah, rub your booty on that tree. Females do that to
mark their territory we learned later.

Pretty peacock.

It was 1:10. The girl at the registration desk explained about holding the panda and I signed our 3 kids up. We were then told they had to be back at 2 to hold them at 2:30. $325 to hold the panda for one minute...what a rip off but it's a once in a lifetime thing. The girl went on to tell us all the pandas were inside because it was too hot and there was only one spot to see them. So, we went all the way to Chengdu to see pandas and we couldn't even do that. What a giant let down. Besides the great company this trip wasn't what I hoped for so far.

This is where we signed up.

We sat around for an hour. We checked out one of the gift shops. We found some shade and a wall to sit on. An adorable little girl spotted us and started staring. Her mom wanted her to get her picture taken with us. We said it was ok. Grace loves the paparazzi.

Looking in the gift shop.

Resting in the shade. One of these two groups must have stunk.

What you looking at?

What a goofball.

Kelly was in deep thought. We moved to where there was a breeze.

The sign on the window where the incubators were.

The cute little girl who loved the Americans.

We moved back by the registration desk to wait. Finally tine to go check in. We paid and the lady gave the kids their tags. She then gave them a panda cookie...the same kind they feed the pandas. Cameron tried it. The first bite he said "That's not very good but I might as well eat it". With that he stuck the rest in his mouth but then asked for water. He had a terrible look on his face. More sitting around. The kids played with a Chinese baby for awhile. They finally called our kids.

Entertaining themselves.

Playing with a baby.

Eating a panda snack.

One step closer to starting this adventure.

Aww, aren't they cute?

Whoa, Grace looks thrilled.

The first thing the kids did was looked at some pictures while a girl told them about pandas. There was a lady questioning everything she said.

Luckily this tiny room had air conditioning.

The excitement is all around.

The Panda leader.

They went to wash the bamboo next. It was a high powered hose that was hard for the kids to control. Grace sprayed a little bit of the crowd with water. The guy running this part looked at the crazy lady in the group and said "Old Lady, you next". She didn't want to do it. We just thought it was funny he called her old lady.

The guy explaining how to clean the bamboo.

The kids listening very carefully.

Cameron spraying it down.

Griffin spraying it down.

Grace spraying it down.

Next we went in the panda holding area. The kids got shoe covers and gloves. They also had to put gowns on. Adults got shoe covers. All of us but Kelly went in with the kids. Todd was the photog, I filmed with my video camera, and Scott filmed with Grace's iPod.

Waiting.

Griffin getting all suited up.

They are ready.

Two people hauled the panda in...one had his feet and one had his hands. Cameron was first. They plopped him on his lap. He was 9 months old but pretty big. The panda turned towards Cameron's face and we thought he was going to kiss him. He was just looking for more food. So cute.

Whoa, he's pretty big.

Oh my gosh...so cute.

Griffin was next. He was scratching his belly and looking at him like a good dad. The panda looked very comfy on Griffin's lap.

Look at the size of his hand.

Too cute.

Next up was Grace. She was a giggling machine. She had the longest time. It was a minute and 18 seconds. Lucky girl.

So sweet.

Panda was getting more food.

Sign says it all.

We then waited for our gifts. For $325 a piece the kids held a panda for one minute, two pictures...one cleaning bamboo and the other holding the panda, a certificate, a panda DVD, and a tie. Yes, a tie...Pierre Cardin man tie. No idea why that would be included. How weird.

Off to see the red pandas. So cute. They were walking around on the ground and in trees. We couldn't figure out why we didn't go to see the red pandas while we were sitting around doing nothing waiting to hold the panda but oh well.

Hanging out in a tree.

Out for a walk.

Why can't I get up there?

Phew, made it.

He looked like he was barely holding on.

Are you going to the bathroom?

We walked through the museum then hit the gift shop. Back in the van to go to the hotel.

Cute Pandas.

This is where we visited.

Back to the hotel.

We cooled off and rested for an hour. Echo picked us back up and took us to dinner. It was Sichuan hot pot. We had medium spicy on the outside of the pot and the inside had no spice. We sat at our table and they started bringing dishes out. We all were worried. Scott and Kelly couldn't even stand the smell. We had chicken feet, stomach, intestines, beef liver, quail eggs, tripe (internal organ of some sort) and then beef, chicken, lamb balls, and veggies. Scott looked at Kelly and said "I am not eating this".

Anyone nervous about dinner?

Look at that yummy goodness.

Thumbs up to intestines. YUM!

Todd had a chat with our guide and the restaurant people. They took the real nasty stuff away and switched for more normal stuff. Todd put his chef hat on and got to cooking. The spicy beef was good. Spicy though. I got one pepper or something and boy did I start sweating and breathing fire.

Um, yeah we don't eat that stuff.

Todd working his magic.

Grace does not look sold on this dinner.

Better than expected.

Grace and Scott had more than we ever thought. Griffin tried the chicken but wasn't too keen on it. Kelly couldn't even try anything because she couldn't get past the smell. When we were done cooking the girl came over and turned up the temperature again and Todd tried to say we were done. The girl didn't understand so Todd said it again while moving his hand in the slicing motion across his throat. She still didn't understand. Grace made the same motion and said louder "NO MORE". We all started dying laughing and the girl still didn't understand but she laughed. It was hilarious. We looked at the girl who had walked away and she was still laughing.

Griffin trying the chicken and Grace being goofy.

When we were done Todd said "Well, we have some carnage here now". And I said "Well, yes we do but on one side of the table...the Wallace side." Todd was a complete sweating mess. Between cooking and eating spicy food I don't think there was a dry spot on him.

I was trying to capture the sweat on Todd's head.

Raise your hand if this was your favorite restaurant.
Hmm, no hands went up.

Off to the Sichuan opera and mask changing show. We were 30 minutes early. We walked in and the kids saw some hats. Echo told them they could wear then so each of them put one on. We snapped pictures and then the security guard came over and told them they couldn't touch them. Oops.

They looked cute until they got in trouble.

We had 4 seats in the front row and then 3 behind them. We sat around waiting. Kelly took a little siesta. Show started. Scott, Todd, Griffin, and Cameron took a little snooze at some point during the show. Grace and I were the only ones awake the whole time. Todd said they should have this show in the morning. 8:00 p.m. was too late.

This sign was on a step.

Love my family.

Sweet couple.

Goof and goofier.

So tired.

Todd called this guy the Chinese Kelly. He was out almost the
whole show though.

Parts were good. The hand shadow puppet was cool and the face changing was awesome. The opera part was ear piercing and the comedy part was not funny. The face changing was at the end. It was cool. One of the girls came into the crowd and handed out masks. Well, it was more like whipping them with attitude into laps. Cameron got one. Then the main face changing guy came into the crowd. He shook Grace's hand. Then he looked at Griffin. Went to shake his hand but changed his mask while doing it. Freaked the kids out. He then walked over to a Chinese lady. Stared at her then made a sound and changed his face. The Chinese lady yelled. Funny.