This morning was the day that Aubrey Hang has been awaiting her entire life: a chance to meet a baby panda. Her dream came true thanks to the generosity of the Chiang Mai Zoo http://www.chiangmaizoo.com/ and Prasertsak Buntragulpoontawee, Chief of Project for Panda Research and Display in Thailand. His website where you can watch video and get information about Lin Bing is http://www.pandainthailand.net/index.php. The Thailand Authority of Tourism set us up to tour the zoo to get an exclusive look at the seven month old baby panda Lin Bing. We saw Lin Bing's daily 9AM check up, where she plays around in what is basically a baby's playpen and doctors checked her health. We watched this through the glass with some other lucky observers and media. Lin Bing is a big time celebrity in Thailand; she is the only baby panda in Asia outside of China and she is the product of an artificially inseminated birth. Her birth was celebrated across the country and she was on the every major news outlet. Believe it or not, she even has her own 24-hour television channel on True TV! After seeing the check-up, we followed the large group of Lin Bing fans and went look down at the nursery below where the panda is free to play. I have to admit, this panda was the cutest thing I have ever seen. She was so excited to show off for us that she ran right into a bush immediately after she was released by the doctors! No worries though, she was fine and showed us by sliding on her belly down a ditch repeatedly as the crowd laughed hysterically. After the crowd left, we got to interview Mr. Buntragulpoontawee and ask our many questions about Lin Bing. Then the really overwhelming part-we got to suit up in a veterinary uniform and visit Lin Bing's private cage where she was about to be fed by her mother. We got some unheard-of video and pictures as we were inches away from the mother and baby.
We knew it would be hard to top that experience, but we took an hour long trip to the breathtaking Doi Inthanon to see the national park and the amazing views. After we entered the national park, we ate at a great restaurant which serves only organic food grown in the park. We then hiked up some nature trails and reached the highest peak in Thailand. The views were spectacular! King Inthawichayanon, one of the kings of Chiang Mai, was an early conservationist and his bones are buried inside the park. Two magnificent chedis top the mountains, and you can go inside and pay respects to the Buddha images beneath the beautifully painted ceilings. We topped the day off with dinner and a Khantoke show http://www.oldchiangmai.com/index_en.php at the Old Chiang Mai Cultural Center. The Khantoke show is a tribute to Lanna culture, with Lanna dance and costume.
The word "khantoke" means a low round table , where you can sit on a mat on the ground and eat a variety of delicious Thai food. The menu is set with all of the essential Northern Thai delicacies, so no worrying about what to order! The hosts were so incredibly kind to us; they reserved a great spot for us near the performance area and even presented us with a personalized gift for coming to their show while representing the Ultimate Thailand Explorers competition. Aside from the food being delicious, the performances were memorizing. Beautifully costumed girls did elegant Lanna dances and the men did a fighting show. Northen Thai-costumed children did a complex bamboopole dance, where they had to jump over the poles in sequence with their partners. We enjoyed all of the shows and stayed until closing time-we loved every minute of it and recommend it to anyone wishing to experience ancient Lanna culture and food. We can't believe this is our last night in Chiang Mai! This trip has flown by and has been the most amazing trip of our lives. We need to get some sleep because we will wake up at 6 AM to present alms to the local monks here and then check out of the beautiful Chedi Hotel. We are so sad to leave but so thankful to have this incredible opportunity to bring Thailand to you! More to come tomorrow, including new video updates of our first days in Chiang Mai!
Goodnight from beautiful Chiang Mai, Thailand,
Aubrey and Parker (AubParkThailand)
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