At Chengdu

This is a red panda.

The local tour guide knew damn well that the giant pandas were not going to be outside in this heat. So to appease us, she took us waaaaay into the back of the panda compound to see the red pandas. In this heat and humidity, it was a long, sweaty walk to get here.

This animal is very distantly related to the giant panda. Although, it has similar markings like a giant panda, its body looks more like a raccoon than a bear. It also eats bamboo like the giant panda. And it seems to tolerate the heat better than the giant panda too because several were roaming outside. (I found out later there were no air-conditioned facilities for the red panda. That's why they were outside. They were stuck outside. Poor guys.)

Seeing this animal was mildly interesting but not satisfying. I was really here to see the GIANT PANDAS!