Sichuan / Chengdu

The province of China best known for pandas and insanely spicy food (though luckily not mixed together)... :)

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Clever ad for a Sichuan restaurant, highlighting the local use of chili peppers.

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On the way to one of China's largest panda breeding centers.

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Watching the pandas roam, rest, drink, and sleep.

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I had more fun watching the rare red pandas, which were very lively by comparison.

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I have never seen so many plush pandas in all my life. The Chinese certainly know a cash cow when they see one!

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Surprisingly graphic mural nearby.

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Of course pandas weren't the only lifeforms we encountered out in the forest...

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Girl just want to have fun.

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Enjoying one of the local delicacies, donkey meat (the dish on the right).

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One of the most amazing places to visit in Sichuan province, the massive Buddha carving in Leshan. At 233 feet (71 meters), it is the largest stone Buddha carving in the world. Construction was begun nearly 1300 years ago in the year 713, and it took nearly a century to complete.

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A couple random shots from the temple at Leshan.

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One of the most endearing amusements while traveling in china, the often-entertaining use of English.