Ya’an

August 26, 2024September 15, 2024 Kirsten

China Diaries: May 2024 #4 ~ Ya’an to Dujiangyan City + Dujiangyan Schedule

My original plan was to spend 2 nights in Ya’an and do 2 full days at the Ya’an Bifengxia Base, but because Yang Guang and Tian Tian weren’t on show I didn’t really feel the need to have a second day here. So over an afternoon ice cream, I changed plans and decided to travel on to Dujiangyan that evening together with my friend. In the end, I don’t think it added too much of a cost, if I’d gone back to see the pandas again the next day it would have cost me two taxi rides and the entry ticket, which wasn’t that much less than the cost of a hotel room.

July 22, 2024July 5, 2024 Kirsten

China Diaries: May 2024 #3 ~ Getting to Ya’an Bifengxia Giant Panda Base

On my fourth day in China, it was finally time to visit Ya’an Bifengxia Giant Panda Base for the very first time! Before planning this trip, I really didn’t think getting to this base was ever a possibility for me. It seemed very far away from Chengdu, it didn’t seem hugely accessible, and it seemed like it was a several hour bus journey which didn’t sound good at all! But, when Yang Guang and Tian Tian were moved here after their 12-year stay in Edinburgh I really started thinking about how to make it work. I was very happy to wear my Edinburgh Zoo panda shirt for my visit. I already posted about getting to Ya’an itself, but read on to hear my experience in getting to the base itself:

July 15, 2024July 1, 2024 Kirsten

China Diaries: May 2024 #2 ~ Shanghai to Ya’an, let’s stroll in Ya’an centre

After 2 nights at Shanghai Disneyland, it was time to head on towards the main purpose of my trip – to visit the pandas in Chengdu and the surrounding area! So let’s get started with the second part of my diary on this trip, getting myself from Shanghai to Ya’an, a trip I’ve never made before: