Guess what I did today?

No really, go ahead, guess.

You got it, I went to a panda habitat!

I saw a panda on a trip to Guangzhou, China in 1989, and never again until today. In 1989, the panda sat in its own filth in a pathetic dark zoo. But the pandas I saw today seem to have life good.

Look at the panda above. He is staring at me! He froze like that for a full minute or two before resuming his breakfast. I was laughing out loud.

They are so cute. They have actions resembling those of my dog Mimi, except their posture is worse. One difference between pandas and dogs is that pandas have to put the food in their hands and then put it to their mouths. Mimi can't do that. (But hey, Mimi can move a lot faster than these pandas, and is clearly smarter than a panda.) One similarity is that both Mimi and the pandas charmingly smack their food when they eat.

Their habitat is beautiful! It was like a humongous bamboo rainforest.

This guy/gal/whatever decided he/she wanted breakfast in bed. First he (let's go with "he," shall we?) was sitting down to eat, but then he grabbed some branches of bamboo (put out by the caretakers), rolled over on his back, and started stuffing his mouth with bamboo leaves. They are so cute, everyone was laughing and smiling at the adorable pandas.

The entry fee to the park is equivalent to US$9 per person, which means a lot of locals couldn't afford to go.

Somebody's having a birthday today!

My dad! Happy 78th Birthday Padre!

On the road again...

...going places that I've never been.

I am in week two of a three week trip to the western part of the Middle Kingdom. On this trip:

• I've gotten altitude sickness, twice rather severely (headaches, throwing up).
• Chatted with some Tibetan monks who were pretty laid back. No, I am not in Tibet.
• Got swatted at by one Tibetan monk.
• Got yelled at by another Tibetan monk (overall they are a rather angry group)!
• Met the Imam of an Islamic mosque. No, I am not in the Middle East. The Imam neither yelled at me or hit me; he was friendly enough.
• Visited a minority village out in the middle of nowhere.
• Ate more noodles in twelve days than I've eaten in the last twelve years, or at least I think so.

I can't wait to get back to my overseas home when this trip is over so I can resume my normal life. I don't care to ever be higher than 5,000 feet in elevation ever again (even though I know airplanes will go higher than that). I don't care to ever eat a noodle again either, although I might make an exception for spaghetti. It's fun to see new places, but three weeks of it is overkill. I miss my Mimi.

The Market

Shanghai’s Bird-Fish-Flower Market

Taking a cat nap near the aquarium supplies. Smart cat.

Bird watching takes on a new twist!

As does fishing!

Yes, you can buy flowers.

Or just kick your feet up while taking a tea break.

For some, the market is just a jailhouse. I’m not a fan of caged birds. Nor am I a fan of strings that keep them from doing what God made them to do – fly!

I'm traveling for the next 3 weeks or so. Please pray for safe travels. I'll do my best to post something while I am gone, but I dare not make any promises!

Milestone

Vacation

Other people’s idea of an awesome vacation: go lay out on a beach somewhere.

My idea of an awesome vacation: go lay out on my parents’ sofa in Texas.

So that’s what I did. The goal of my 3-week vacation was to visit good ‘ol mom and dad. Mission accomplished.

As it turned out, I didn’t get around to contacting friends in the USA. I just rested and recuperated. Half the vacation I was in jet lag, falling asleep on the sofa at odd times of the day. Jet lag and I don’t have a good relationship.

I expect to be in the USA for two months next summer starting in July, so I hope to catch up with friends in the Texas area at that time.

I was not sure I could afford to go to the USA for vacation, but I prayed about it and felt the Lord was giving me His go-ahead to buy the tickets. I knew if a major appliance of mine broke and had to be repaired or replaced, I wouldn’t be able to afford the trip. (My appliances are getting old. My washing machine is 13 years old, and has been through three unprofessional moves, so I kind of expect it to crater any time.)

Well, I bought my tickets. Soon thereafter my refrigerator broke! Not only did I have expensive repairs, but all my newly purchased meat, cheese and produce ruined. I wouldn’t have bought my airline ticket had I known this would happen! But the Lord provided in unexpected ways through brothers and sisters in the faith who heard about it through the grapevine. Thanks to them for blessing me, and thanks to the Lord for getting me to the USA to see my parents. Lots of people in my line of work have family with them overseas, but I hadn’t seen a single family member in 1-1/2 years prior to this trip.

It was a nice trip. It went by fast. And now I am back overseas. Having jet lag.