Pandas!

Patiently waiting with Jenna.

It’s finally panda day for the girls! They call the breeding center the “Chengdu Panda Base.” Imagine this place as an enormous zoo with oversized enclosures devoted entirely to pandas. We took a shuttle from the front gate to the “kindergarten” or baby panda house. After walking around the outside of the entire kindergarten complex and taking pictures of adorable small pandas, Kevin announced that it was time to fill out some paperwork, pay the “Panda Keeper Experience” fee, and spend some time holding a baby panda. It’s not that different from a behind-the-scenes opportunity offered in the United States, except that you get to interact with one of the rarest, and cutest, animals on earth. The girls were given a sort of backstage pass on a lanyard and led away from us. We watched on the video monitors from the lobby area. One by one the girls were dressed in booties, a smock, and gloves, and given a 10-month old panda to hug/hold. Even though they were only ten months old, the pandas outweighed Amanda and Allyson by quite a bit, so holding one on their lap wasn’t really an option. They each got to spend about five minutes with a panda while the handlers took pictures with our cameras. All of the girls were positively giddy after the experience.



Amanda & panda.







Ally & panda.

Next we went to the red panda exhibit. Red pandas are not related to giant pandas, but they are native to Sichuan province and are protected by law. Red pandas are more closely related to raccoons and are about the size of a fox.

The final exhibit was the adolescent panda enclosure. They were very active and funny. It’s a little odd to see so many of them in one place. We’ve been to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., but there are only two there and they were almost catatonic when we saw them. There were a half dozen or more in one enclosure and they were eating and playing a lot. There was quite a crowd around the perimeter and it was difficult to get a good picture. We’ve kind of gotten used to…well, not really…the lack of consideration for personal space or for waiting one’s turn that exists in China. Although we’ve encountered some very nice people, the vast majority are very impatient and will push you aside to get a better position. This was especially true at the panda exhibit.

Just before leaving we were taken to the panda museum, which unfortunately was closed for renovation, but…guess what WAS open…one of the ever-present gift shops. Please forgive my slightly cynical attitude, but ever since we left Beijing we’ve had the nagging feeling that much of what we’ve done has been about the power of our tourist dollars, not the cultural or historical experience. Don’t get me wrong, we’re having a great time and the girls are pretty oblivious to this aspect of the trip, but Guilin and Chengdu have been very a different experience overall from Beijing. I chalk most of that up to our wonderful Beijing guide, Nancy.

More pictures from the Chengdu Panda Base...