Sail Rock!

The underwater stone chimney in the Gulf of Thailand knows many titles and has been described many ways.... “Best Site in the Gulf of Thailand” “Premire World Class Diving” “Menagerie of Schooling Fish” “breathtaking” “1sts Rate Corals” “Whale Shark Playground”  and many more.

We just called it awesome!

Sail Rock was where Michele and I would take our first real open water dive for our certification. Justin came along as he was already certified and Nick tagged along, hoping for some snorkeling between dives.

Justin does a predive buddy check with his partner Rod

 Our alarms woke us up early the morning of the dive. Our walk to the dive center seemed super long because we are all so excited to get out on the boat. After arriving and getting dad outfitted with equipment we got onto our dive boat at the pier and then started our one hour ride to Sail Rock. As we watched the island of Koh Phangan get smaller and blurred with ocean spray behind us, we could begin to make out the faint out line of Sail Rock (the cap of a huge underwater pinnacle) on the horizon.  I think we were all surprised to see how many other boats there were. “How are we all going to fit in the water?” I wondered.  They had to be at least another half dozen boats which unlike ours were crowded and bustling. The captain idled the engine and we geared up.

Sail Rock from the surface 

I was initially a bit nervous about my first dive, I mean, there are so many horrible things that could happen down there! I realized that  obviously we had been preparing for unlikely worst case scenarios but it was still in the back of my mind. No sooner than I thought, we were in the water. First, I was amazed. It’s hard to describe but the underwater world is just so alien to anything I’ve ever experienced before. We saw massive schools of barracuda and they didn’t even seem to notice us as they flashed by. We also observed a rather dangerous jellyfish but we were far enough away that it was no issue. On both dives there were a few Titan Triggerfish swimming around. For those who don’t know these territorial and beautiful finned predators have been known to chomp off the fingers, earlobes and other fleshy bits of divers who got too close. After Michele’s story’s of her past encounters, I was pretty wary of the fish.

Titan Triggerfish 

Big schools will blow you away

Diving is just so amazing. You feel like a bird rather than a fish. Weightless, soaring over a murky abyss below. We felt like astronauts on our own planet. We did 2 dives that day. Our dive master Michi found it amusing to ask how long we were submerged. 15, 20 minutes? In reality it had more like an hour! It’s crazy how time flys when you are having fun!

Whale sharks were in the area but we missed them. Everyone was fine with that, we hadn’t expected to see one anyway. What we had seen were barracuda, parrot fish, butterfly fish, urchins, anenomes, pink clownfish, jellyfish, titan triggerfish, giant groupers and so much more! 

Overall experiencing the natural fairy world that is Sail Rock was an aqua experience I will never ever forget.

Can’t wait to get back in the water!

Anika and Michele are PADI Divers!

Michele, Michi and Anika outside the dive school 

Just before Christmas Michele and I took an intensive four day class to learn how to safely and enjoyably be ambassadors to the marine world. Michele had been a certified diver a long time ago but she hadn’t dove in over 15 years so she wanted to refresh her prior knowledge. We took the classes at Chaloklum Dive School in our village, which was convenient and a fun experience.
On the first day we met our instructor, Michi, an older and very experienced diver from Germany, though he has spent the last decade here on Koh Panghnan. We spent the first half of the day watching instructional videos and reviewing the material through quizzes. Mom could recall certain information and I had borrowed a diver manual to study earlier in the week so classwork wasn’t too demanding. The first day we also learned how to assemble and disassemble our gear kits, before going down into the water to practice some basic skills. What I didn’t realize is how heavy all that stuff is! You have a tank, (the bulk of the weight) wet suits (2 in my case) and plus weight belts, which are straps with multiple lead weights on them. Walking the 15 feet into the surf is easier said than done!

The next day was similar, just with water skills in the morning. Mom and I practiced clearing our masks to get water out at depth, taking our masks on and off underwater and dealing with air supply issues, from inconvenience to emergencies.
The third day we did our first shallow water dive. There was a 450 yard swim from the shore to the reef we would be diving. This was more of a practice dive, the water wasn’t very deep, only 5 meters.  Everything we learned was measured in metric but it wasn’t too tricky because we have had a few months of travel to wean our minds off feet and yards.
This dive was mostly putting our knowledge together. It was fun too! We saw a cuttle fish which are less common this time of year and so many fish that I hadn’t seen snorkeling. Everything went smoothly and got us pumped up for our real dive at Sail Rock tomorrow.

Suiting up before a dive!

After lunch and cleaning and putting away our equipment I took my final exam. Michele didn’t have to as she had already been a diver. A 75% passes and I was in the 90% range. Michi reviewed the test with us and then taught us how to use dive tables. Dive tables are calculation instruments that divers used before dive computers. They are a little tricky to grasp the concept of but once you understand they are simple, it’s just math.

We went to bed early that night, to get a good sleep before Sail Rock!

Christmas in Koh Panghnan

Note, this post was written on December 24th and published at a later date
Happy Holidays from the tropics!
It is Christmas Eve now and we are putting the finishing touches on our festivities. Our tree (a native potted plant) has been trimmed with colorful lights, paper chains, cut out snowflakes and paper ornaments.

Small presents have been wrapped and placed at the base of the pot and trekking socks with paper designs sewn on them hang in the tree, awaiting Saint Nick.

25 detailed and hand drawn North Pole houses and shops make up our Christmas village that spans two walls, complete with Post Office, Toy Factory, Train Station and Coffe Shop.

The North Pole continues onto the opposite wall as well

Michele and Justin hunch over a desk covered in bright frosting, decorating sugar cookies freshly baked by us in a rented kitchen a few hours ago. Among the shapes, cut from cardboard stencils, are candy canes, bells, snowmen and evergreens. Michele also whipped up some buckeye balls and peppermint fudge. As Nick and his new friend Josh sample treats, Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby serenade on as they have for the past 2 weeks. In a few hours we will go to sleep, only to wake early to open gifts and FaceTime friends and family. Around noon on the 25th Team T as well as Josh will start a multi hour (17 course) Italian Christmas feast at our local restaurant. It should be a day to remember!
We wish everyone at home a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!
-The Turcottes

How We Spend Our Lazy Days in Chaloklum Bay

 

From Sunrise and Sunset all members of the family are doing something here on the island of Koh Phangnan. With more free time on our hands, we've decided to give you a little slice of island life.

Our village is called Chaloklum, look in the north

For Michele, Nick and I the day starts around 7 with a simple breakfast and often some exercise. Because of time zones the morning is also the standard opportunity to FaceTime friends and family in the States. Then from 9 to noon it's strictly homeschool time. Homeschool is 6 days a week because we are trying to make up for school lessons we missed trekking.
We have different themes we try to incorporate into each day, like Food Friday (putting time and energy into a nice family dinner) Try New Things Thursday (wether it be a different restaurant or a new place on the island) or Water Sports Wednesday. (Snorkeling, swimming, etc)
Motorbike rentals are big here on Koh Panghnan, but because we came here to settle down we rent them as necessary rather than the whole duration of our stay. In our small village, the heart of which is about a 10-15 minute walk, we have a few small markets, many family run seafood restaurants, a plethora of dive shops, a bakery and a real Italian restaurant. So other than big shopping trips or hunting for specific items there aren’t many things we can’t find locally.
I would say the majority of our afternoons are spent by the pool or in the hammock. Nick and I have made some friends at our resort so afternoon soccer games, swims or cricket matches aren’t a rarity. Coconuts are also something we haven’t seen much of in our trip so far. There are a lot of them here though. So many trees populate our resort alone that we are always on the alert for the heavy objects plummeting from the heavens. There have been many times where we have been enjoying some Thai iced tea on the porch and seen a coconut or frond fall, a reminder to watch out! Point taken trees.

Anika cutting off pieces of the daily coconut.
You can see how that would hurt if it hit you!

We also had a pair of monitor lizards bunking in our roof when we first arrived. The smaller of the 2 was at least 4 feet long. After some reasearch we concluded that they will prey on eggs, fish, small birds and the occasional banana. (We learned that in some field experiments) Still, falling asleep to the sound of their scaly bodies dragging across your ceiling is easier said then done. It is with mixed emotions that we have discovered that they have seemed to move out, maybe to the house next door?

Lizards front door

We alternate cooking dinner with dining out. Our meal options are limited as we have a single gas burner for cooking. So far we have enjoyed some pasta, larb (a Thai dish) and some delicious pork ribs! It was fun to balance a rack if those on the back of a motorbike, but it was well worth it, barbecue is a taste we haven’t had in a while.

Sweet Chili Red Snapper at
a favorite seafood spot 

So that is basically a summary of island life. We hope to take advantage of some great snorkeling near by once the weather clears up. We have had only a few days of sunshine since we arrived.

Beach Days on Koh Panghnan

For our first days on the island Michele booked us a nice bungalow on a hillside resort, where if you were feeling too lazy to walk the flight of stairs to the beach, one could flop into the infinity pool.
Within moments of arrival at Highlife Bungalows, as fast as we could throw our bags on the floor and wiggle into a swim suit, Nick and I were in the cyan currents. We avoided a local octopus and had a good splash. The water was so warm! You could be in there for hours and not get a chill, like a warm bath after a clammy, rainy day.

The next few days were spent almost entirely submerged in water of one form or another. Nick and I discovered an obsession with snorkeling. In fact, mom and I ventured out during a low tide and found ourselves suspended above a vibrant reef. The surface of large coral boulders were bustling with small fish and crabs. Schools of 100s of parrot fish swam below and there were water dwellers of all description. It was like nothing I had ever seen before and needless to say it got me hooked on the aquatic world.

We enjoyed the sunshine in a content daze and lazed around, only Justin was very productive, he spent a day searching for rental houses. We found a nice bungalow just outside a fishing village in the north of the island. Koh Panghnan is only 48 square miles, an easy motorbike ride from north to south. It’s been a busy few days between establishing routines and buying all those little things for around the house that we usually take for granted.
Upon our hasty leave from Bangkok Justin accidentally left his trusty umbrella behind. As anyone who lives in a moist climate knows, this deserves a curse from the weather gods.
It hasn’t stopped raining since we came in on the ferry.
That’s not true, we had the first day here and occasionally showers will relent just long for everyone to get ready to swim, bathing suits on and everything- and then the skies will open up.

Bangkok by Boat And Adventures in Catching a Bus

Before we left for the islands we tried to squeeze in one more sightseeing trip, a 2-3 hour riverboat ride. Can’t say we knew anymore than you know now going into it, especially when the boat we had tickets for failed to show up and we were waved onto a random vessel.
We cruised past tall skyscrapers and towering temples dramatically backlit by a great sunset.

Not exactly sure how clean the river water was so we closed our eyes and mouths as it sprayed up in sheets. The boat was going quickly but we nervously checked our watches, and as the orange sun sank below the horizon, worry was intermingled with shadows. We had to be in a bus station (location of which is unknown) on the other side of town and our bus leaves in an hour. Yikes, that’s a little closer than we usually like to cut it.
When the bow of our boat bumped against the bobbing wooden dock, we were fast, packing out the crowded terminal and despite the heat, power walked quickly back to our hostel.

“Where have you been!?” Michele was obviously flustered. “The bus left five minutes ago!”
Justin and I had just gotten back from an unsuccessful hunt for Thai iced tea, curbing our search short  because we had hoped to avoid this situation. “A big group of people going to the islands just left!” She paused to catch her breath, it was pretty hot and sticky!  “The lady at the desk looked all nervous and surprised and said ‘You should go, go with them.’”  Mom impersonated as she gestured into the bus offices. We nervously waited around until an escort came out and lead us through the chaos of Khao San Road. Lots of overpriced street vendors, bright signs and crowds. This is why we stayed in another neighborhood. Motorbikes buzzed by as our escort guided us through a rubish strewn street and then helped us onto the double decker night bus. We were all a bit discombobulated and tried in vain to settle our minds to sleep.

We Arrive In and Explore Bangkok

3 days ago after an inconvenient delay in the hectic airport that is Kathmandu we touched down in the capital of Thailand, Bangkok. Even though we had been through a long day our excitement for new cuisine, culture and, hopefully soon, beaches, energized us like caffeine.
We admit that even though we have been here about half a week we have been very disappointing tourists, opting to skip on pretty much every big sight. Some members of the family have been suffering from illness and it’s hard for us to adjust to the hot and humid temps after coming from Nepal where it was been dry and chilly.

We have visited some of the shopping districts in town, searching for decorations to get us in the holiday spirit, but that’s not saying much because from what we have seen most of Bangkok is a shopping mecca. Just yesterday we went to well known colossal mall Terminal 21. The shopping center has many many levels, each themed like a destination in the world. It just a few minutes we visited “Rome”, “Paris”, “Tokyo”, “London”, “Istanbul”, “The Caribbean” and “San Francisco”. It was kind of tacky, with tuk tuks, double decker buses, trolleys and the Golden Gate Bridge serving solely as selfie props but still a unique experience.

We also have been enjoying the Thai cuisine, which is a firework show of flavor compared to the modest tastes of Nepal. Adjusting to the enthusiasm for spice in this country has been a bit of a challenge but everyone is really embracing green papaya salad, sticky rice and fresh, sliced and cheap fruit sold on every corner. Yum!

In the next few days we will hail various modes of transportation to the popular and tropical island of Koh Panghnan. Justin will be hunting for a good property (Hopefully close to the beach!) where we can relax and settle down for the holidays. It will be nice to take some time to get the dust of the trail off our clothes before continuing on to the rest of South East Asia.

(Sorry there are no pictures accompanying this post, many of our images were lost on account of a cheap memory card)

Chitwan National Park By Jeep

An adolescent rhino we spotted the night before our jeep ride during an evening walk in the buffer zone of the park.
Looks cute right? That's what we thought until our guide told us this was the same little guy who had attacked tourists
the day before!

With a week left in Nepal it was time to get out of the mountains. Before we came to this country I didn't even know Nepal had anything but mountains and it turns out there are some rather lovely lowlands where tigers and rhinos lurk in sticky jungles. And that's where we went for a 3 day trip.
I was bumping about in the back of our 10 person open top jeep, eyes trained on the foliage intently. The wind (which there was a surprising amount of considering top speed was 20 mile per hour on a good stretch of road) was warm on my cheeks now that the clammy morning fog had lifted. Our army green vehicle below me rumbled noisily through a field of elephant grass, black exhaust pouring out of the tail pipe.
What wild animal in their right mind would hang around with all this noise?????
I shook my head. It wouldn't matter, there could be a whole heard of wild elephants 15 feet to my right and I would never know. The tall golden stalks of grass were easily 10 feet tall and enclosed the narrow dirt road, making it feel more like a tunnel. In fact I ducked now behind the protection of a seat to avoid being decapitated by the sharp blades encroaching on the road. I had learned earlier that over sized grass leaves an over sized grass cut.
The rat-a-tat-tat of our guide Rejesh's fingers on the roof of the cab made me sit up a little taller.
Has he spotted something? 
The jeep ground to a halt, making everyone lurch forward a bit. Rajesh stood erect in the front, eyes shaded by his palm like a pro. He narrowed his eyes as he looked for signs of a jungle beast- snorts, grass jostled by the stride of a rhino perhaps. His spine was straight and tall beneath his forest green vest bearing the slogan, "protect the wild life, no debate." We all held our breath in silence, and then got to our feet to look as well. The sun was beating down and in the direct light I could see the footprints of something big in the marshy undergrowth. Our guide shook his head.
"No animals here. Often rhino come but not now." We all slouched back to our seats. This morning we had seen a eagle or two, a "wild" pig nosing through trash in the parking lot and a few deer but no prizes. The engine gave a groan of complaint before slowly crawling towards the rolling hills in the distance.

Wild Pig is hungry for handouts 

Cicadas droned lazily in the distance and birds could be seen fluttering about in the afternoon heat but that was all the fauna in sight as we kept watch on the river, chewing some fried rice we had brought from our inn. We had broke for noon day meal on the bank of the river where tigers often came to drink. The highlight of our animal sightings since earlier had been a troupe of monkeys, enjoying lunch in the canopy of an open grove. So far we had been more impressed with the geography of the park than it's inhabitants. The family had driven through dense and lush forests, open grass lands and across wide rivers this morning. Behind me Nick and Dad joked around in hushed tones, and our guide and driver talked in whispers a few yards away. My eyes drifted to a heard of Sambar Deer grazing down and across the river. They eagerly lapped up the water and I hoped that the large and dangerous crocodiles we had seen to lurk below the surface of the waterways wouldn't take this opportunity to have an easy snack.
"No tiger today." Rajesh's announcement interrupted my thoughts. "If not hot he might not be thirsty. Lets go."

A spotted deer reveals herself to our jeep

The sun was heavy in the sky as we clambered into the long wooden canoes to cross the river that was the boarder of the park. We had seen a few more deer and an interesting lizard but that was all. I don't think we were that disappointed though, we had seen much of the park.

This little guy watched us from his lair,
 in the hole of a roadside tree

As the boatman used a bamboo pole to push us across the murky river I eyed a crocodile on the shore no more that 15 yards away. He was huge, as big as a full grown man and appeared to be sunning himself, taking advantage of the last of the day's light. Slate grey armor on his back was perfect camouflage. I shivered, the rim of our canoe was only a few inches above the water! After what seemed like forever we bumped against the opposite shore and I was safely out of the crocodile's domain. The last bit of color in the sky drained away, leaving the woods where wild elephants and tigers roamed in shadows. Nothing today, but we weren't done with the jungle yet.

Sun sets over the jungle

Tandoori Thanksgiving

Traveling the world, we have lots to be thankful for. Our health, family, this opportunity to experience the unknown everyday, the fact we have made it this far! We realize that gorging ourselves on turkey and pies annually is a tradition unique to the States but old habits die hard so we tried to at least find some poultry for old times sake. We managed to find a nice tandoori place out of the tourist part of town and enjoy some chicken. Here is how we loosely translated the menu of one of America's favorite holidays into a delicious Indian lunch...

• Turkey- Tandoori Chicken
• Gravy- Marsala Curries
• Stuffing- Chicken Biryani with Raita (That one is a bit of a stretch) 
• Dinner Rolls- Nan Bread
• Sparkling Apple Cider- Mango Juice

Not exactly the same but isn't the whole purpose of traveling to experience new things? If we wanted a good old fashion roast turkey (which believe me sometimes we do) we would have stayed in Vermont! Happy Holidays! 

Yum would the pilgrims approve?

Kathmandu In Photos

Neighborhood Stupa

The "Rickshaw Graveyard" 

Sunset Over the City

Is This Up To Code?

Small Shrines Line the Street

Candles at the Monkey Temple

Monkey Near the Monkey Temple

Monkey Temple

Trekking to Base Camp, a Long Story Short

So you know why we wanted to do this hike, but what you don’t know is how it went.
The first days were the hardest. Not only were we out of shape and not adjusted to the trekking lifestyle but the terrain itself was more difficult. We had opted to take a 15 hour Jeep ride and then hike 4 days to Lukla, the starting point of the EBC endeavor rather than do it the easy way and take a 45 minute flight into Lukla airport. This was because first of all it was slightly more affordable and also Lukla regularly makes the “Top 5 Most Dangerous Airports in the World” list and we didn’t want to push our luck.

Everyday we would hike 5-10 hours, depending on the terrain and how everyone was feeling. We were hiking without a guide or porters, which is fairly uncommon on this particular trail, but the lack of structure allowed us to go at our own pace. This also meant every family member carried all of their own gear which while liberating at times was a literal burden whenever we reached an uphill.
The trails below Lukla were often over run with mule trains and evidence of them. At least 20 times a day we would have to flatten ourselves against the cliff walls so that we wouldn’t be squished by donkeys toting everything from cement to rice to kerosene uphill. The trains were always urged forwards by mule drivers, hardworking and stern men who threw sticks, stones and insults at their stubborn animals to keep them moving. As we gained elevation (1600 to 6500 feet a day) the scenery gradually changed from steamy lowlands sprouting banana trees, up through rhododendron forests where fuzzy limbs were draped in Spanish Moss like tinsel, and then eventually into the highlands, where the shrubs began to dwindle until we were alone surrounded by ice, stone, and many other tourists.
Even though altitude made exercise more difficult I think we all agreed that days got easier as we began walking a mere 2 1/2 hours on average. That was all we could do, we didn’t want to risk Mountain Sickness in fast ascent. We would also take “rest days” to let our bodies adjust to the decreasing oxygen levels. They weren’t really rest days because we would have to do day hikes around the villages to continue acclimating. Once we passed through Namche Bazar, we began to see some of our first yaks. The big fuzzy beasts would lumber by on the trail in groups of 3 to 5, heavy supplies strapped to their backs. When firewood became scarce their dung heated the wood stoves of the lodges.
On day 13 we reached the small village of Gorak Shep (16,942 feet), the last stop before Base Camp. There is a small hill called Kalapattar that looms over the town, whose summit is known as the best viewpoint of the entire trek. We successfully attempted this for sunset, reaching the top and our all time elevation high of 18,514 feet, just as golden light basked the icy precipices. It was very cold but even though views are usually polluted with clouds in the afternoon, the skies were crystal clear.
Our Base Camp goals were achieved the following morning. The Camp is actually used by those planning to summit Everest in the spring, and in the fall it is simply some prayer flags and a plaque out in the middle of the Kumbu Glacier. We were all excited to be there, finally, and could not have asked for better weather. We took some family pictures, ate some well earned Snickers bars and began the long journey home.
In all the trek took 20 days. We made many great memories, have some good stories, worked hard and saw some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet.

What Was Going Through Our Heads When We Chose EBC

Everest Base Camp, one of the most well known treks in the world, where come spring representatives of all nations come in attempt to conquer the largest mountain in the world. Coming to Nepal we intended to do a Himalayan Hike but a more mild one, Annapurna perhaps. Nick, however, had his eye on a larger prize that would bring bigger bragging rights. After the examination of many blog posts on the subject, the purchase of guide books and many long and heated family meetings in which lengthy contracts were drawn up, we came to our decision. We would do our best to, as a family, reach Everest Base Camp.
Nicks Thoughts- "I think it would be cool to say that I've done Everest and kind of bragging rights." Nick was the driving force behind this undertaking that would test our patience as well as our bodies. When Michele and Justin tentatively planned Annapurna, he was there urging us to aim higher, litterally.  The fact that there was now a road halfway up the alternate option also deterred him. Nick was happy when he got his way and preparations for EBC began. Like the rest of the family, he was never 100 percent sure we would make it. "I thought that we would have problems with altitude," he confesses. We had long discussions about what we would do if one of us got Acute Mountain Sickness (Altitude Sickness) on the slopes and how it would effect our itinerary. This condition often strikes mountaineers when quickly exposed to low oxygen levels. If the victim does not descend immediately extreme cases end in death. Nick was also concerned about the stress day after day of hiking might put on our relationships. His faith was restored once the action plan in wake of arguments was decided upon in a contract.
Justin's Thoughts- "I really just wanted you kids to be happy," Dad says when questioned why he went along with Nick 's plans. During the planning stage he was always supportive of his son while thinking about worst case scenarios, strength and budget realistically. He did have some worries but just like Nick "once we laid them out in the conditions of a contract which we all agreed on, ratified and signed most of those concerns were alleviated." Justin just planned to let nature take things into her own hands to see wether we would reach Base Camp or not.
Michele's Thoughts - "I was really thinking about the commitment we were going to have to make to this 20 day trek." Initially Mom  tossed and turned, crossing her fingers that our rather inexperienced hiking family would be able to handle the nature of trekking. But in the end, her anticipation of conquering the biggest mountains, or at least  getting to them overruled her doubt and she too began to back her bag.
Anika's Thoughts- Like my brother I wanted the glory of being at Base Camp, in the shadow of monstrosities of mountains like Nuptse, Everest and Ama Dablam. I was excited for breath taking vistas, lots of exercise and memories to last a life time. I never really counted on getting to the end of the path but most people say the journey to the destination is the best part anyway. I was ready to hit the trail!

Team T in Nepal

On our Sichuan Airlines flight from Chengdu to Kathmandu we got the privilege of getting probably some of the best views possible of the Himalayas. The white snow whipping off the ice capped peaks was visible from cruising altitude and we could just see colossal mountain after mountain stretching out into the horizon. We had a brief layover in Lhasa but that's all we got to see if the Eastern side of the range. Once we touched down in Kathmandu we had a bit of culture shock, transitioning from the orderly manner of China into the noisy, loud and colorful streets of Nepal. From our taxi window we witnessed cows and goats wandering through chaotic intersections, prayer flags draped over neighborhood shrines and piles of litter smoldering on the sidewalk. We would stay in the capital for about a week, planning the next phase of our journey.

Chengdu Panda Center

Our last day in China was well spent at the Panda Breeding Research Center. There were both Giant Pandas and Red Pandas which were a bit more active. It seemed like panda life consists of two things, eating and sleeping! There were no infant pandas due to the time of year but there were 3 month old cubs that drew lots of  crowds!