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Published: April 19th 2015
Chengdu Skyline
There were many of these identical high-rise apartment buildings clustered into compounds.We arrived very late at night in Chengdu and checked into 'Mrs. Panda's Hostel'. Linda and Maurice had a room while Lulu bunked in a dorm room for 4. Chengdu has a population of 7,000,000 and there are 30,000,000 in the province of Sichuan. It is a very clean modern city teeming with construction. The huge streets have 6 lanes and another 2 side lanes for turns, scooters and bikes. We woke about 8:15 and slowly got moving. Our plans were to head to the Chengdu Panda Research Base about 30 minutes away. We snacked in the taxi on dried fruit, cake and nuts from our stash while on the way to the preserve. It turned out to be a beautiful hot day.
The giant pandas are not only a Chinese national treasure but are also beloved by people the world over. They are found only in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces of China. In total there are fewer than 1000 left, of which 80% are distributed within the territory of Sichuan province. Panda Breeding Research Center has been created to imitate the pandas' natural habitat in order that they might have the best possible environment for rearing and breeding.
Panda Base Police Office outside the Preserve
Everything in Chengdu seemed to be Panda based. Giant pandas, red pandas, black-necked cranes, white storks as well as over 20 species of rare animals are fed and bred here in Chengdu. The park covers 92 acres and is filled with bamboo, bright flowers, fresh air, a natural hill scene and a beautiful artificial lake.
We strolled around the massive compound and observed the many enclosures for the giant pandas, red pandas as well as various wild birds. There is a museum, a Research Center and a Panda nursery as well as several enclosures for varying age groups. The grounds were extremely lush and included many smaller varieties of bamboo, lots of flowers and vegetation, and a lake. They use their bamboo to feed the pandas because it's the major part of their diet. We walked along the paths, visiting many of the displays and enjoying the scenery. We spent the most time watching the giant pandas, and they performed in fine form. We found ourselves laughing at their antics. They would sit and cool their bums in the water, then lay on their backs and spread their legs out in all directions. Once nicely settled, another panda would come over and bit his neck or foot,
Bright Cheery Ticket Office
Most of the crowd arrives early, around 8AM. There were no lineups to get into the park at 10AM. instigating a very friendly wrestling match. They would roll around, fall off the decks, get up and go bother another. It was hilarious.
We were all exhausted by the time we finished going through the museum so we cabbed back to our hostel, had a delicious Sichuan noodle bowl and then a nap. Later we wandered to the Carrefour mall for supplies and stocked up on food for our 12 hour bus ride to Jiuzhaigou Valley the next day.
Jiuzhaigou Valley, Sichuan, China
Friday, April 3
rd, we were up at 7AM and off to the bus depot next door to catch the 7:50 bus to the Jiuzhaigou National Park. It took over an hour to clear the city as the traffic was heavy because of the "tomb sweeping" long weekend in China. A few hours later, we were twisting and climbing and making our way over mountains and through tunnels, some of which were over 5 kilometres long. After a couple of hours the bus stopped for a bathroom break where snacks and souvenirs were available. Later on we stopped for an hour at a buffet restaurant. In the late afternoon, we came a couple
Spectacular Gardens
It was a bright and beautiful day, perfect for strolling through well manicured gardens. of trees a plough wind had knocked over blocking the road. It was interesting watching the Chinese trying to figure out what to do. Despite the fact that there were many pickups stopped, no one had a saw, chain or rope. Eventually, with many people working in unison, they managed to drag them far enough over so that one vehicle at a time could wiggle by on the shoulder of the highway.
We slept, read and ate all the way to Jiuzhaigou Valley, arriving about 6PM. Mr. Do picked us up and took us the final 30 minutes to our Tibetan homestay. Zhuo Ma and her Tibetan homestay have been written about in Lonely Planet and there was also a documentary that tells about this aboriginal family homestay. It was an authentic experience! We were fed yummy noodles with spicy peppers, home made wine and tea made of bark. Lulu conversed in her fluent Chinese, and translated when she had time. We took a walk outside before dark and then we headed off to our room above the dining room. It was cosy with 4 beds and an overstuffed arm chair. We washed up and skipped the
Miles and Miles of Paths
We strolled along lanes lined with smaller varieties of bamboo. They use the bamboo as feed for the pandas. shower, as it was cool in the house and jumped into bed to read. Lights were out by 9:15PM.
Next morning, we gobbled our Tibetan breakfast and headed to the Park gates to purchase our entry passes. Once through, we boarded a bus and rode to the top of the trails. There, locals dressed in traditional Tibetan apparel were offering to dress tourists for photos. We didn't bother, and instead hit the hiking trail down through the Primevil Forest. It was cold enough for us to see our breath! We kept moving along the wooden path leading back down the mountain towards the park entrance. We saw spectacular waterfalls, crystal clear azure lakes and ponds, mossy forests and signs of spring bursting all around. Inside the park, there must have been 150 buses shuttling the people back and forth around the various parts of the park. Cars are not allowed in at all. We walked many kilometres enjoying the sights and sounds. We stopped for lunch about 11:15 and then moved onto the other side of the park. It wasn't as spectacular as the first side and it appeared that the water levels were low so the falls weren't
Peacocks
Other animals were interspersed with the pandas. The peacocks were spectacular. as strong but they were still very beautiful to see. People considered us an oddity as we were 2 of only a handful of caucasions in the park. We were photographed often and the Chinese would request that we pose for pictures. Meanwhile, we took photos with Chinese people who were dressed in peach, or floral, or brocade blazers! What a different world. It was late afternoon by the time we were done visiting the park, so we walked through the gates and down the road to Do's brother's restaurant, the meeting place for our ride back to the Homestay. We had a beer and grabbed our just as the rain began. A French family of 5 had just arrived and they joined us for supper. We relaxed and read, had coffee and tea, showered and were curled up by 10PM.
Sunday, April 5 dawned bright and sunny. The French family from Hong Kong (Claire, Camelle, Sara 6, Alban 4, and Antonio 2) chose not to get up early and head to the park. They slept in and so did we. After a breakfast of eggs, hard but delicious barley bread, local jam, tea and coffee, the children went
Main Ingredient in Their Diet
Bamboo makes up the bulk of their diet, and it was interesting watching them strip the outer sheaths and chew on the rest. They seemed quite picky as they inspected the feast laid before them. outside on an Easter Egg Hunt. We watched with amusement as they ran around the yard, exclaiming with joy whenever they discovered a new treat, And, they were very gracious in sharing their chocolates with us. Then we headed out to hike around the area with the French family. We trekked for about 5kms, and it was amazing to watch the kids walk on their own. The 2 year old even walked all the way back down to the Homestay. After lunch, we headed to town for a little shopping and to stroll around. Then it was back to the Homestay for supper, relaxing and bedtime.
Monday morning, Mr. Do opened the door at 5:30AM and ran to the outhouse but didn't close the door behind him. We were shocked to see a couple of inches of snow on the ground, a virtual winter wonderland. And, it was still Snowing! We drove 1.5 hours through slush and hard rutted snow towards the plateau of Huanlong, 3600m above sea level. We made it to the Jiuhaigou Huanglong airport with plenty of time to spare. However, the flight coming in from Chengdu was delayed because they couldn't land on the icy
Red Pandas
They reminded us of raccoons, including how they walked and moved through the forest. runway, so we found a restaurant, a hot water dispenser and enjoyed coffee and conversation, all the time shivering in the unheated airport. Once the snow and ice melted enough on the runway, the plane from Chengdu was able to land and 90 minutes late, we were able to take off. We landed in Chengdu, found our gate and waited and waited as that flight was also delayed by another 90 minutes. We finally left for Guanzhou, a city just north of Hong Kong where we were to transfer for the final leg to Chiang Mai, Thailand. We arrived just as our flight was scheduled to leave, and were informed that, yes, we had missed the connection. Without any fanfare, China Southern Airlines put us up in the New Century Hotel, a huge gorgeous hotel in a bustling suburb of the city. At least it was hot in Guangzhou,, a balmy 32C. We headed out to explore and found lots of street life, people, shops. restaurants etc. We stopped at a local confectionary for a beer and then headed back to the hotel for dinner. We appreciated the fact that the airline put us up in huge spacious rooms, provided
Panda Billboard
These billboards were posted all through the park, and we were pleased to see them in English. Lulu had a lot less translating to do as a result. us with dinner, and breakfast next morning along with transportation back to the airport. We emailed Samart at Spicy Villa and informed him that we would only arrive the next morning, and he responded immediately saying his driver would be there to greet us. And, he was!
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Joanne
non-member comment
China
I really enjoy the pictures.