Juvenile giant panda at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Chengdu-pandas-d04-small (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Giant pandas eating bamboo at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Showing they can hold the food with their hands. 中文: 成都大熊猫繁育研究基地的两只大熊猫正在吃竹子，它们可以用手抓住食物。 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pandas!! (GIANT PANDA/WOLONG/SICHUAN/CHINA) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: A Giant Panda at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Giant Pandas eating bamboo in Chengdu, Sichuan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This after-noon, we sadly said farewell to Shangri and Chin Chin, the two Giant Pandas for whom we had been caring for two days in Ya’an, China.

We considered it to be a privilege  and an achievement to have been so close to such majestic animals.

Our two days voluntary work with the Giant Pandas was  planned to be a highlight of our extended trip to China. In reality…