Ailuropoda Melanoleuca – Giant Panda

Travis Sherwin/Orlando

Pandas are right up there with dragons as an emblem of China. It’s hard not to love them. They are very, very cute.

I had the chance to visit the pandas at the Beijing Zoo a couple days ago. Here are two of the eight pandas rescued from the Sichuan earthquake last May.

They love bamboo!

Their diet is 99% bamboo, and these two-year-olds love it!

Older panda

Here’s an older panda at the main exhibit. He’d rather sleep than eat. (At least when I was there.)

He's looking right at me!

This guy and I bonded. He spent a lot of time just staring at me, and I gazed back.

Pandas are about the size of an American black bear and weigh up to 250 pounds. They are an endangered species, and there are only about 1600 of them left in the wild.

You can count on me to support the panda cause, and you should, too.

-Travis

Interactive Radar Rocks!

Travis Sherwin/Orlando

Here in Beijing, the smog-fog continues. We really could use some rain!

Ths smog-fog continues

The weather forecast must be a national secret because I haven’t seen one since I arrived.

But, with WESH.com, and Interactive Radar, I’m never too far away from my favorite meteorologists Tony, Amy, Malachi, Jason and Ivan.

First, let’s see if it’s raining at my house.

Interactive Radar in Florida

Zoom in a little…

No rain at my house

Good, no rain at my house. Maybe the neighbors won’t notice that I haven’t mowed my grass for a week.

Now, let’s head overseas…

Interactive Radar in Beijing!

Darn, not a drop of rain over Beijing.

From your neighborhood to Beijing, you always have a weatherman in your pocket with Interactive Radar on WESH.com. (Paid promotional line by the WESH 2 promo department).

No joke, if you haven’t checked it out, you really should. It’s very cool.

Now Tony, just make it rain here before the Games begin.

-Travis

Signs That You Need a Translator

Travis Sherwin/Orlando

As you would expect, there are a lot of signs I can’t read in Beijing. Can you read them?

Get your number two pencil ready, and let’s see how you do.

Welcome to Beijing?

Slower traffic keep right?

Hot coffee?

Restroom?

 Answers: (from my new friend and excellent translator Jessie)

1 – Airport ahead 1000 meters and then turn right.

2- No delays from Wong He Bridge to Tai Yang Gong Bridge.

3 – Drivers only allowed to get beverages from the refrigerator.

4 – Restroom. (Okay, I cheated. I had to get one right. I cut off the English word at the bottom of this sign.)

-Travis