Tagong - Chengdu Roundtrip - From Chengdu Pandas to The Top of The World - in 5 days

Chengdu Travel - We've been pretty busy over the last couple of weeks guiding folk out and about through Sichuan. Our last guests were a couple of bird interested travelers who also wanted to experience some of those interesting parts of Sichuan that most tourists never get to see.

The trip actually started on a very normal note - with a quick visit to the Chengdu Panda Research Center. This site is one of the best places around Chengdu to watch birds - and of course there are a few Pandas there as well.

One of the great things about the Chengdu Panda Center is how close you can get to the animals. In the background Meggie is snapping away while Kerry and Che take advantage of getting to actually see something in China without having to fight their way through a massive crowd of people.


The Pandas were pretty playful and quite active. This is around 10 o'clock in the morning - but because the temperatures are lower during this time of year - the Pandas feel more comfortable and are out and about, rather than being kept inside, in air-con pens, as is so often the case during the summer.

This guy seemed to be setting up a pose.


While others seemed more concentrated on a popular subject - bamboo.


But here we have a meeting - The Panda Union.


Five hours drive out of overcast Chengdu took us to a whole other world of fresh-air and sunshine. This picture is from the second morning of the trip - on the road between Moxi and Kangding - where Kerry snaps up a photo opportunity.


And here's what he's taking - a view towards the Hailuogou Glacier area - where snow covered peaks and blue skies are being revealed as early morning cloud is blown away.


The lower areas around Moxi are home to the Yi Tribe.


A Yi woman is taking the goats out to feed.


But we've got birds on the brain - and there are plenty of them about. Here I'm explaining which species we've seen while referring to pictures in the Chinese bird handbook.


At that spot we were watching this bird - White-collared Yuhina.


You can get pretty hungry while birding - and even though we're in November it's starting to get hot. That means picnic.


When we drive a little higher we can look back in the direction of Chengdu. Something tells us they may not be enjoying the same kind of brilliant sunshine as us!!!


This is high - around 4,000m - taking a walk up here can be very tiring.


Here are two supposed cures for altitude problems - a can of oxygen that you can pick up for 20RMB a piece - and Tibetan herb medicine that has some extract from Rhododendron. I've only taken the pills - and they seem to make me feel better - but then again, for most folk, the longer you're up at altitude the more used and acclimatised you get to this type of environment.


There are birds that are tough enough to survive at these kind of altitudes - this guy, who's sporting a Zorro mask, is called a Horned Skylark.


Over the mountain through Kangding and we're into the third and fourth day - on the Grasslands around Tagong. This picture seems to suggest we've given up birds for yak watching - but I think we've spotted something with feathers.


We could well have been checking out a Godlewski's Bunting - a pretty common bird around here.


And it's not just small birds - here are massive Himalayan Griffons (a type of vulture) - soaring over the prayer flags.


We're also being watched. In this pic old meets new - the horse and rider plod on as the speeding Land Cruiser throws up a cloud of dust.


This pic is dedicated to my nephews - they seem to appreciate this kind of subject more than artier pieces. Drying Yak dung - nearly ready for burning in the stove.


Sorry guys we also have to give some room for art - horses on a sun flooded grassland.


On the subject of guys - here's the local gang checking out my binoculars.


All this high altitude fun is best done on a full stomach and a good breakfast. On this trip we made great technological advances - we brought along a toaster. It's my home-baked bread that's been toasted in our grubby machine.


All good things must come to an end - day five - we're on our way home. We made a few stops on our way back to Chengdu - this is the old town at Xilai - around an hour out of Chengdu.