Absolute Panda and Philip are the Best!!

After reading trip advisor and getting a recommendation from a colleague, I booked a trip with Philip and Absolute Panda. It is the best trip and experience I have ever had with a tour group. Philip really personalizes your trip and provides great suggestions per your requests. His expertise and knowledge about the pandas was exceptional. We were one of the first people in the park as he had bought the tickets ahead of time. I was also able to be the first to sign up to spend several minutes petting a panda (well worth the additional 2000 RMB). It was definitely a highlight. They also only allow 20 people a day to handle the pandas so getting their early is a must and Philip knew exactly where to go to ensure I was able to book a spot with the panda for later in the morning.

After the Pandas, we took a trip to the ancient town of Luodai and ate at a local eatery. It was nice to experience some of the favorite foods in Sichuan and not be at a typical tourist restaurant. The shopping was great and very affordable and it appeared that I was the only tourist there. We also visited Jinli market which is a replica of a Han Dynasty (2000 years ago). It was beautifully decorated for the upcoming Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. The day was topped off by the Sichuan Opera which offered many skits including the famous face changing, folk music, opera singing, dancing and marionettes. 

Philip is also an excellent photographer and shared all his photos he took during our tour. In addition, because his camera was so much better than mine we used his camera for the Panda Research staff to take photos of me and the panda Shuang Xin (age 1 year 4 months). 

Please take advantage of visiting Chengdu when you are either in Beijing or Shanghai as it is a short flight from either city. Philip and Absolute Panda are highly recommended and I plan to fly back and book his tour company to visit Jiuzhaigou as well as the other pandabase. Philip's knowledge and pricing for what you get in an experience can not be beat. Thank you Absolute Panda!!