Chiang Mai Zoo

We ended up spending most of two days at the Chiang Mai Zoo -- it is very impressive, with white Bengal tigers and three pandas, among many other animals!

Like so many things in Chiang Mai, its entrance is graced by elephants.

I guess I never knew how lions sleep.

 The Zoo has three giant pandas -- one born in captivity 3 years ago and her parents, who came from China in 2003. The two females are in the enclosure below, separated from visitors by a moat but not by glass, so a visitor has a great view.

The mom, Lin Hui, and the daughter, Lin Ping.

A butterfly took a liking to Mary in the Zoo.

 The entrance/exit to the Zoo is a lovely spot.

 On our second visit to the Zoo, we started with lunch at a lovely Thai restaurant above the Zoo.

 We went there with a friend we had made in the city of Chiang Mai, Sandra Prater, a teacher of English to foreign-language speakers and a true woman of the world who has lived in many places, most recently Tunisia from which she had been evacuated because of protests over the crazy American-made, anti-Muslim video.  She spent awhile in Thailand and then moved on.  We believe she is in Guatemala as we post this.

 We also visited the Aquarium in the Zoo.  The pictures of us below are in a tunnel in the aquarium that goes through sea water - sharks and other sea life are overhead and surrounding you as you walk through!



Feeding Time

View from our apartment at day's end with the sun setting behind the mountains.