Giant Pandas in Chengdu

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We arrived late morning into Chengdu off the back of our first train experience in China - an overnight hard sleeper from Yangshuo. I should point out that the hard sleeper isn't actually a wooden bench as we had feared before boarding, but simply an open 6 bed dorm into the carriageway. Apart from the music blasting out of the carriage speaker directly above our head for most of the journey, I have to say it was a very enjoyable & relaxing journey (and its half the price of a soft sleeper).

We checked into a 4 bed-dorm at the 'Mixhostel' and after a swift shower we strolled down into town to gain our bearings. By this point hunger was setting in and just when all hope was beginning to fade and it looked like the big bright curves of the McDonalds M was going to win out, we stumbled across the all you can eat "Pizza Buffet" restrauant. OK, I know what your thinking and I have to agree the name is hardly going to win any awards, but this place had everything a man (or 3 men) could wish for (salad, pasta, pizza, curry, chinese, fruit, ice cream, cake, etc..) and all of this happiness (plus unlimited drinks) could be purchased for under 3 British Pounds. After what must have been a good 3hr feed we waddled back to the hostel to book the tour to the Giant Pandas for the following morning.

We arrived at the Panda Breeding Research Park just after 8am for feeding time and after navigating the maze of footpaths we arrived at the first enclosure and fell silent with the other onlookers as we all gazed at these incredible creatures. I must admit in some respects they're not too disimilar to sights I've seen through university following heavy nights out, with bodys stretched out sweating in there own filth and eating whatever they can find to hand around them, however these animals seem to do this with a touch more elegence.

We moved through several other enclosures housing Pandas of various ages and also saw the Red
Pandas, which look more like racoons than pandas. The research park offers opportunties to have photos taken up close with the Giant Pandas for a fee (approx 30 Pounds), which goes back into funding the park's research. I happily agreed and after being kitted up with plastic bags for shoes and one plastic glove (don't ask me why?) I was allowed to get up close and sit next to the Panda. The whole expericence was over slightly quickly then I had hoped for, but it was amazing to be able to hug an animal of that size - all I have to do now is try and smuggle one into the UK to keep as a pet...!

Our final day in Chengdu was spent visting a few of the other attractions; an impressive Monks Monstery, the Chairman Mao statue and the Peoples Park (where literally hundreds and hundreds of locals were dancing, playing music and practicing Tai Chi). Later that evening we caught our second sleeper train to Xi'an and the world famous Terracotta Warriors...

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Comments

[Daddy Dixon]

panda
I think the panda is really a man in a costume