Living in China: Animals and Speed Boats

It's a rare clear Saturday - my friends and I went to Beijing Zoo. We bought the 40 RMB ticket which includes entrance to the zoo and a one-way ride to Summer Palace (YiHe Yuan) by boat.

at the entrance

Our first stop is the place where they keep the pandas. Unlike my previous visit (early February 2007), I was able to see the pandas because the zoo people are cleaning their cages and they are out munching bamboo. I was able to take pictures - my last visit was in winter - no wonder they kept themselves inside.

a panda - back view

bamboo munchies

busy eating

We checked out these mongooses sunning themselves, some tapirs and this FHM material kangaroo. I was not included in most of the pictures because I was the designated tour guide and photographer (as usual, not that I'm complaining).

sunbathing mongooses (or is it mongeese?)

half and half

sexy

We had a lot of fun. These kids found animals they can play with. A stone kangaroo, a monstrous lion, and several stone elephants. Things are going quite well, everything going as planned, until they saw the speed boats...

I think Hazel is the one on the right...

lion or tiger?

yey! elephant!

elephant ride

eh ano ngayon kung mahirap bumaba?

Once they saw these speed boats, they lost interest on seeing the rest of the zoo. Never mind that we have only seen less than half of it and we're due on our boat ride to the Summer Palace at 11:30. They have to have a speed boat ride! So, what can I do? Off we went...

10 kuai speed boat ride

After the speed boat ride - we have to wait in line for the ferry going to the Summer Palace. We only have a one-way ticket because we'll be having lunch in WuDaoKou (which is another story). Jane decided not to come with us to the Summer Palace opting to go shopping at the place in front of the zoo instead (she's going home to the Philippines next week).

The boat ride was also a lot of fun (for us at least). We waved to everyone we saw along the banks of the river (feeling celebrity) who gamingly waved back to us. There was a tour guide on the ferry pointing out the sites along the way. The guide spoke in Chinese so I understood very little of it.

We have to change to another ferry to continue our journey to the Summer Palace (wow journey daw! hehehe). We stopped at this park (I think it's the Purple Bamboo Park or ZiZhuYuan, but I'm not sure), walked a little to the next dock and then we're off again.