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Published: October 23rd 2010
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When I first found out that tourists could pay to have their picture taken with a real baby Panda my feelings were mixed, on one hand how awesome would it be to hold a baby Panda but on the other hand how could anyone exploit an endangered species like that. Then I heard the conditions, there is a time slot of 30 minutes a day when tourists can actually have their picture with the Panda, if the Panda isn’t feeling well the day is cancelled, if it is too hot the day is cancelled, basically unless conditions are perfect for the Panda so that they will be comfortable the day is cancelled. When we were queuing everyone in the queue were made to put on protective plastic shoes & gloves and an all in one blue gown so that nothing sharp like zips etc could catch on the Panda. Everyone is told several times not to make noise & to whisper when speaking to each other whilst in the queue, before the Panda is out & if you’re speaking too loud you get told off! There are signs everywhere asking people to switch off the flash on their camera in case
it upsets the Panda & lastly the price tag, all of the money goes to the Panda breeding centre, when I heard that I was sold “How much?” I asked, 1000 RMB (about £105) PER PERSON. So for Nikki and I to have our pictures taken, which felt like it lasted all of 30 seconds that was £210, that is the most expensive 30 seconds of my life but well worth it to think my money will be helping the Pandas & I will have an amazing memory for the rest of my life!
We arrived very early to the breeding centre & ignored everything else at the centre as we wanted to get in the queue for our picture with the Panda, we were the first in the queue & in no time at all the queue got very big, after our picture whilst outside Nikki and I were looking at our pictures on our camera, I heard someone behind us crying, the woman that was behind us in the queue to have her picture taken with the Panda was looking at her pictures with the Panda, she was so overwhelmed that she even cried. After we had
our picture we spent the rest of the day taking pictures of Pandas, Red Pandas (which look just like raccoons) & then had a lazy afternoon at Swan Lake.
I saw the Pandas on my second day in Chengdu so I’ll write this blog in reverse & now speak about my first day in Chengdu seeing as I got over excited telling everyone about the Pandas, lol. For the second time in China there was a delay at the check in, this time it was because someone had packed a samurai sword in their luggage!
Chengdu is a flat plain that has mountains on either side & as a result it rains alot, our guide told us that Chinese men like women from Chengdu as there are only a few days a year that have a clear sky to let the sun shine through & as a result the women all have fair skin which is a sign of purity. Chengdu is in Sichuan province & Sichuan province is famous for its spicy food, Chengdu is also very humid & it is said the reason the food is spicy is because when people live in a humid place
for long enough they become humid inside their bodies so they eat spicy food to sweat it out, lol.
After a check in that seemed to last forever & a short flight we landed in Chengdu & were met by our slightly hyperactive guide, before we checked into our hotel we went for lunch to the Kuanzhai Lanes, when I imagined what China would be like before I visited this is what I imagined everywhere to look like, quant Chinese architecture, stalls selling weird food (one was selling rabbit heads) & a slower pace than your usual city.
Our guide took us somewhere to have lunch & this was a real authentic Chinese restaurant, I almost felt like a cowboy from out of town walking into a saloon when we walked into the restaurant, everyone stopped what they were doing & stared at us & after a few seconds they just continued again. The food was alright but I think we may have been put off before we even began as they prepared the food in front of you, which I usually like, however the scraps of food they didn’t use they threw at a bin, some bits
went in others didn’t, flies were all around the bin & the smell wasn’t very pleasant, did I mention the bin was also in the seating area of the restaurant about 5 feet from our table? But for a total of £3.50 for the bill in total it was fine as there was a lot of food.
In the small amount of spare time we had in Chengdu we went for a walk around the city, as I have already mentioned Nikki doesn’t really like Chinese food so was struggling to find stuff she actually enjoyed eating, on our travels around the city we found a McDonalds so Nikki got a burger & chips, whilst waiting for her burger we heard someone in the kitchen cough up some phlegm & spit on the floor, I looked at Nikki & laughed “Thank god I don’t eat McDonalds”. Despite of the fact that Nikki may have ordered a phlegm burger Chengdu was so far my favourite place in China.
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