National Zoo : The Asia Trail

After the African Savanna, we decided that it was either the flamingos or the panda bears.  It was getting late and we were all tired and our legs needed a break.  Even though the flamingos were on our "must see" list, we opted for the Asia Trail to see the pandas.  We had already seen flamingos at the Animal Kingdom but have never had a chance to see a panda.

We maneuvered along the Trail in hopes to find some of the other animals such as the Red Panda, Sloth Bear, Snow Leopards, Fishing Cats or Otters.  We spotted the otters and the fishing cats but couldn't find anything else. 

All of us were excited to see the Panda Bear cub so we moved along the line until it was almost our turn. Jackson kept everyone entertained and Connor was definitely a Debbie Downer.  He expressed concern over not being able to see the pandas.  Jackson tried his best to keep him calm and kept telling Connor to belax.  Definitely a source of encouragement as we inched closer and closer to the pandas.  By the time we were let in with a couple of other people, Connor finally relented and said that he knew he was going to have his turn. 

The pandas were absolutely adorable and munching on bamboo.  The baby wasn't hard to see but lighting made it impossible to catch a photograph.   But, we have the memories.

Even after spending time with the pandas, Connor was still skeptical and had lots of questions.  We had spent a good bit of time checking in on the cub via their cam on the zoo's website.  A return trip will need to be planned so that we can more time in with the pandas once all of the excitement has worn off.