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Published: October 17th 2009
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Ok, so I put this here mainly because I went with a large group of people to the Panda Research Center in Chengdu today and wanted to post a video of pandas at play. To be honest though, there isn much to say about the Pandas. They are cute and all but today will not go down in my book as a particularly memorable one...at least not for the reason it is supposed to. It was a little impressive just how thouroughly the pandas are cared for here, whether it is neccessarily good or not. They center very carefully breeds and raises the pandas, though I am not entirely sure what all of their research is specifically for (raises hand for having breezed a little quickly through t he research center building meant to tell you these kinds of things). I know they do some stuff with DNA and apparently have a very large stock of panda sperm and eggs. According the the information I
did actually read, it seems like they put a great effort into feeding the pandas properly and making sure they get enough nutrition. I didn realize it but the silly animals are not built for eating
2-bamboo ceiling
I could get used to walking paths like this one bamboo (stomach built for digesting meat, not grass) but they do it anyway. Wonder how that came about...? I also got a glimpse of a red panda. It was slightly embarrassing to watch all the other visitors crowd around watching and taking pictures of the creature as it relieved itself in a bush. Strange as it may sound, despite the fact that it was not moving and was rather close to the edge of the enclosure (=great photo opportunity), I chose to wait until after it had relieved itself to snap a couple quick photos. I ended up walking through the center without any of my group members, which meant I could walk at my own pace and stop to take pictures of the random flower that caught my eye without having to explain myself.
I was impressed by the frequency of benches along the road/path. In some places they were literally a couple steps apart, evenly spacedalong the road for as far as I could see. The park staff were equally good at letting you know that the pandas should be left alonem and not fed, and pleasedon climb over the railing. Not only were these signs everywhere
but I also encoutered a couple different versions conveying the same essential message as though they wanted to make sure you you REALLY understood. I would have wished for a similar attentiveness to their facility maps. More than once I found myself wondering where exactly I was headed and trying to decide whether to simply walk one direction, following the loops and turns or whether I should turn back the way I came to take the detour I knew existed.
By the end of my looping walk around the park/center I had ended up at "Swan Lake" which was simply a large lake on the property near the entrance and where a restaurant and cafe were located. There were so many fish gathered and flopping against each other next to the path because people were throwing bits of food into the water. The fish frantically gathered around the same spot vying to get to the same thing. If all fish acted like this, going fishing would be rediculously simple. One could easily reach down into the piling bodies and grab one...though they were a large enough size, you would probably need a pretty strong grip to catch one. Seeing
a sight like this makes it much easier to visualize the stories/myths/legends that talk of crossing rivers by walking on the backs of fish. Thought the fish were an interesting sight, my was really focused on the people standing near the water, trying to touch the fish or attract them.
I also spent a little time wandering the shops outside the center that sold just about anything in the shape of a panda. If I wanted to be a panda for haloween Id be able to find almost and entire outfit there: panda hat (flaps on the side), panda paws (though there were claws, there was no real place to put your fingers so...not really practical), panda scarf (one of the ugliest things I saw there), pretty sure there were panda slippers/feet as well. Since all these shops sat in an orderly row - right next to each other - one of the other international kids and I started walking from shop to shop jokingly wondering what the
next one would be selling. One shop actually was selling paintings an artwork instead of the panda themed objects. Some of the art was actually created by the shop owner himself
(according to a sign typed out in english and hanging on the wall with some paintings) though Im not sure if all of it was his. Ill admit to being drawn by some of the art....the section that had pictures of peoples faces....I admired them for a while then walked out after reasoning away my need for them. In the last minute when everyone was getting back on the buses, I rushed back in to buy a couple of the drawings. Despite having spent more than they probably were worth in my rushed attempt to bargain, I am content with them.
Thus ended the most active portion of my day...
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