Sorry for the lack of phone cam pix you guys!!! We haven’t been able to get our pix to post since the layover at the Bangkok airport. Between the smog and the high buildings we only get pockets of reception now. Hopefully we can get some we have saved on the phone to go through eventually.
Yesterday was UNREAL…so unexpected!!! Our guide Mickal picked us up at 8:30 am for our day of touring Chengdu. As we got into the car we mentioned to him something we bumped into on the internet the night before by accident while researching the temples of the city. It was the Moon Bear rescue facility. We had just learned very little about the Moonbear farming while in Thailand (harvesting their bile for medicine…very inhumane) and when we saw there was a rescue operation her in Chengdu we were crossing our fingers we could get in.
They are only open 2 Saturdays per month and by appointment only. Mickal…bless his heart got us in without an appt. The only condition was we had to tour the Moon bears with a large group of children with onlyl Chinese spoken. NO PROBLEM!!!!
The guide was a wonderful and caring man named “Rainbow” who spoke English VERY well and gave us plenty of commentary as well as Mickal interpreting along the trails. They are doing incredible work at this place you guys!!!! These bears suffer ontold years in a metal harness in a cage bearly large enough to hold them….de clawed…de fanged…they are frightened to death and reaching out for help.
http://animalsasia.com is the site to tell you more about it. We were deeply moved as was Mickal who knew of the plight of the Moonbears but had never had the opportunity to visit the facility. They were very generous in giving me stacks of Save the Moonbear bumper /window stickers so you can bet my customers will be getting these in their pretty packages when you purchase jewelry!!!! This organization needs to get the word out bigtime!!! We took a lot of pix to show you later of the happy healthy bears that are now at the facility following their operations to remove their catheters and gall bladders which have been severly damaged from the bile harvesting.
On a more upbeat note…we toured the Wen Shu temple which was stunning and arrived in time to watch a chanting ceremony by the Buddhist believers. Haunting and beautiful to hear the chant over and over within the temple walls as they filed slowly by.
Ohhhhhhhhh gotta run!!!! Mickal is here..later!
