RadioRoryWho doesn’t love pandas?
Again, this is one of those things that would have been difficult for me to organize without a tour group handling the details.
After walking with warriors going thirsty among the Muslims it was time to fly from Xi’an to Chengdu. It’s only about 500-miles, so it’s a pretty quick trip. Organizing another flight, hotel, and transportation to the panda facility would have been prohibitive, especially with the language barrier.
The capital of China’s Sichuan province, Chengdu is a major economic engine for the country and is home to nearly 15-million people.
It’s also home to some adorable baby pandas.
These guys in the top photo are a couple months old, but the one above was born at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding just a few weeks before our arrival in August. This facility is also good at handling people. The nursery is at the top of a hill that you can walk to or take the tram for like $1.50. If you’re smart, you’ll tram UP and walk DOWN, but only if you get there early enough to avoid the long tram cue.
Humans get to walk in a circle around the breeding center and see the pandas doing what they do, which isn’t much.
The young ones interact with their handlers quite a bit and it’s fun to watch them play with one another.
Bigger pandas just hang out and eat. A smart strategy given the summer heat.
The giant pandas aren’t the only draw. Red pandas, which in Chinese are called “bear cats,” roam in the wooded grounds. Think big brown raccoon.
The managers of the facility try to hype the red panda, perhaps just to spread out the crowd. They’re more like the opening act for your favorite band. They’re not the reason you’re at the show and you keep an open mind, but they better be good.
I’m just going to shut up and get out of the way now and give you what you want.
More panda pics.
