Chengdu - Panda Research Institute and City Tour

Sept. 6, 2014

    Today began promptly at 6:30 am so that Raphi and I could go walk around the track. I going to ease myself into running in the polluted air. We attempted to get Jose awake but he was lost to the land of nod. I was really nice to chat with her, we walked about a mile and half. At eight we headed back to shower and pick up Leanne for breakfast. We showed her the wonders of a baozi breakfast. Two RMB (roughly $0.33) gets you a full breakfast here. We then ate out on the steps and waited for the bus to arrive. We were going to go see the Panda research facility on the outskirts of Chengdu and then take a small city tour. And as soon as I got on the bus I passed out. I have extremely tired the last couple of days, I think it’s just been the constant go of Beijing, arrival in Chengdu and then straight into class. Sunday, I suspect, will be catch up on sleep and organize room day.
    We arrived at the Panda preserve and immediately walked into a jungle setting of bamboo and forced humidity. They were actually pumping mist in the park to keep the pandas comfortable. Seeing the big pandas was interesting as they were very close but there just so many people it was hard to enjoy them. People were constantly pushing and getting in the way of enjoying the view. Still the baby pandas were pretty cute. One of the workers carried a panda cub out of the holding pen then had to distract it so he could get out of the enclosure. Apparently they get extremely attached to their caregivers. We also go to see the red pandas which were much more lively (on the sign they were designated as fierce). I think that out of the two kinds,  the red pandas are more interesting to see. I have a video of one climb a tree. We finally got loaded up on the bus and taken back into Chengdu. Cassidy and I ended up napping again on the bus.
    After lunch we headed out for our city tour. Wentao was pointing out famous area. She too us to a small district that was built like old style Chengdu. Of course it was much more touristy but things were way cheaper there. I bought a little Panda plushie for 10 yuan (roughly $2). Also on the street I saw some high school students trying to take picture of me so  stopped and posed. I was then surrounded by about 10 or 15 students (I think it was a class trip) all of whom wanted to be in the picture. One boy even ran over and slid on his knees to be in the photo, it was pretty funny. I also got to see some parks and some areas that I want to go to. I have too keep reminding myself that I am going to be here for a year at that there will be time to go do everything. After we got back from the City tour I went and took a three hour nap, but I think everyone did (most people passed out on the bus because the last hour we were stuck in traffic). This is last weekend for a while that is planned out for us, but it is nice to have guided things to do.
    After my nap I found Cassidy, Brennan, Jose, Leanne and Alex. We went to the corner store and got some Dan Dan mien (a local spicy special). It was yummy as always. We then attempted to go to a fruit stand out of the West gate but the gate was closed. We then went to the square by our dorm and watched people dance. The university I am at is specifically for minorities of China, so it is incredibly diverse and I get to see it. We’ve been told that we should participate and I think Jose and I are going to try for it next week when we can be there for a few hours. It’s just great to see the diversity of China. I will keep you updated in my attempts to get involved on campus. As a heads up I’ve decided what my update schedule is going to be like for this blog. I will update on Monday, Wednesday, Friday as internet will allow. I will update on weekends if there are trips or interesting things happening. There is a 15 hour time difference so be aware it might be early or late for you when I update. Thank you for everyone going on this adventure with me, please feel free to comment and ask me questions!

Old Chengdu Street

Plant grow well here...