Panda Time!

So after arriving in Chengdu around 9:00pm, our plan was simple. Food, sleep, pandas!  After going to bed a little later than we had hoped, the next morning was one of the few mornings I didn't have to drag a tired, sleep-deprived Brian out of bed.  He was more than willing to get up, there was, of course, pandas in the near future.

We hopped in a cab, and mario-karted (see previous post) our way to the Chengdu Panda Research Centre.  As Brian practically did a tuck-and-roll out of the moving cab, throwing money at the driver at the same time, I waited to get change.  In China, there really is no tipping culture. Sometimes on the bill, they will add a 10% service fee, but other than that, tipping just isn't customary.  So unsure of Bri's intentions, I yelled after him to see if he wanted change.  Bri quickly turned his head, as if just remembering I existed, and told me not to bother.

We had done a lot of research online about the Panda park.  A few things we noted, that were absolutely crucial to the extensive enjoyment we got out of the park, were; go early! At about 10:30 or 11am a number of tours and tour busses filled with people make their way into the park.  These are loud individuals grouped together in even louder groups.  They tend to yell, scream, and block the way for anyone and everyone else.  We were also told to go early because at 8:00-8:30am (right when the park opens) the keepers feed the pandas and the bears are the most active.  This proved to be very true.

One of the full grown Panda Bears

The main reason for us going was so that we could hold a panda.  We got there early, found out where we got to do that, and went to talk to the people about it.  The panda holding didn't start until 9:30, so we wandered around the park first for a while.  We got to see the pandas tearing apart bamboo, and drinking water, and just walking around.  This park was extremely good to the bears. They lay out the food close to the edge where people can see the pandas, but the bears have to go find the food themselves.  Their enclosure also isn't like a typical zoo, it's a habitat.  If the bears don't feel like people seeing them, they can wander a whole 5 yards into the bush and lie there without the hassle of people.  There also isn't chain link fence all around, there is simply a habitat of bush, bamboo, water, etc, and then, imagine, a cement moat without water in it, and a wall.  So both the pandas and their habitat are essentially raised to the wall level, but they can't climb out because there is a 'moat' around them.

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Teenage Panda mowing down with some buddies!

Pssshhh Teenagers... always eating!

It was amazing.  Just seeing the bears, watching them eat. For the first while we were 2 of the 20 people in the park.  It was super nice.  People just took pictures, got excited, but no yelling or pushing.  After about 45 minutes, we went to the nursery (where we were supposed to go to hold the baby bear). We made it known we wanted to go, and I made sure we were first in line.  We signed up, got a complimentary sweatshirt (which came in super handy later) and a certificate thanking us for our 'donation'. We walked 'behind the scenes' of the nursery, where they garbed us in hospital gowns, gloves and booties.  Although dawning such apparel isn't the greatest for pictures, we were more than happy to do so, as it was just another demonstration of the sanctuary trying to protect the panda.

Brian and I got set up, first in line.  As the lighting was surprisingly low, and there was no flash allowed, Bri turned to me and said that he'd go first to make sure that I got the camera all set up for good pictures.  The man came over and told him to sit on this beautiful wooden bench.  Bri sat, and waited..... it was not hard to tell that it was extremely difficult for him to sit and wait without literally jumping up and down.  The amount of excitement I saw in him is equivalent to that of a 5 year old on Christmas morning being told to wait to open his presents, or that of a 6 year old boy getting a new puppy..... He was so cute.... waiting!!!!!!

One of the keepers came around the corner, and of course, with every noise, sound, rustle of paper, Brian jumped, so when the keeper came around the corner, he was alert!  They explained they were just trying to get Zhen Zhen (pronounced Jun Jun) out of a tree.

Finally, just as Brian was about to explode into a billion tiny excited little bits, the keeper (who probably didn't weigh much more than the actual panda cub) comes around the corner carrying this wonderful, adorable, 15kg ball of black and white fur.  Bri just LIT right up.

My favourite picture of Brian ever! This was taken JUST as Zhen Zhen turned the corner.

Brian with Zhen Zhen. (He's playing with Brian's hand, like puppies do)

"oh hey over there! It's just me and my best friend Brian"

We were warned that we may only get about 30 seconds with the Panda.  They basically try to cram as many people in as they can, but the basis being, once the panda doesn't want to sit and cooperate any more, he doesn't.  Brian, going first and all, definitely got the most time. He sat there with Zhen Zhen for well over a minute, playing and making noises as if they were best friends.  Then it was my turn.  I got a hug and a kiss from Zhen Zhen.  I got about a minute, not quite as long as Bri, but definitely longer than anyone else behind us.  It truly was amazing.

A Panda Kiss from my new boyfriend!

Just hugging a panda... no big deal!

Playing around!

There are only about 2000 pandas left in the world.  They are highly endangered. It was an experience I may never have again, and feel so lucky to be able to have held a panda.  There are a lot of facts about Panda's, and my wonderful fiancé has written quite a lot of them out on his blog: http://virtuallylife.blogspot.com/ - facts like female pandas only ovulate once a year for 36 hours.  When they do get pregnant (by miracle) when the panda comes out, it is so unrecognizable, the mother doesn't know what it is or what to do with it.  A baby panda looks, for lack of a better description, like a baby pig.  It doesn't have any fur.   She often bats it with her paw, unsure if it is a threat, and can end up killing the baby bear.

Zhen Zhen 

The experience of holding Zhen Zhen will not be one that is forgotten.  I'm so happy we were able to capture the moment with some wonderful pictures.  My favourite actually being the one just of Brian.