Pandas, Pandas and More Pandas!!!

I am going to Chengdu for one reason: PANDAS!!!! AND MORE PANDAS!!!! And I am planning a quick in and quick out so I can spend two days in Chongqing where my cruise will start on Sunday.

I will take 3 domestic flights in China while I am here and I decide to go First which is only a 50 dollar difference and as I was told by someone at American “you don’t want to go coach in China, TRUST ME!” I don’t know if that was a big booty reference or what but I decide to do just that. Thank God for first class lounges as I got to get away from my throng of pointing and laughing fans. Of all airlines to have the seatbelt fit without the embarrassment of the extention belt….CHINA AIRLINES! Go figure!

An Aussie named David who owns an Irish bar in town. He tells me the good places to go and who to talk to at the hotel I am staying (the Crowne Plaza). Can I tell you he found me a trolley, loaded up my bags and took all of my stuff to the taxi stand, loaded up the taxi for me and with a warning of watching out for people cutting my bag to get my money, he told the driver in Chinese where to go and I was off. Who said chivalry was dead? Since I was only there for 1 night, I decided to head over to the Shamrock to thank David with a box of Tim Tams.

I started out early for the Wolong panda research station. The disadvantage to not speaking the language is the center is out in the middle of nowhere, so unless I am riding on the back of a local animal that I can drive myself, I must trust the driver to get me there, wait and then get me back. He drops me off and I head up the road.

The park is incredible, lot of bamboo and beauty everywhere. I could just go there even if I were not going to see pandas. There have been 9 baby pandas born in the last week. I start off with the teenagers. They are absolutely beautiful, they are sitting back, relaxing and chomping on their bamboo without a worry at all. Then next the babies! They are in a nursery next to a window and we cannot photograph them but they are soooooooo cute. When they start to cry, someone comes over and comforts them, it was the cutest thing. You can also have your picture taken with a panda for about 500 RMB, but I heard you got to hold it. Well you don't, you sort of sit next to it and have your picture snapped while he is doing his own thing. Sound familiar?

I end the night at the Shamrock hanging with David and his friends. Mostly Westerners here, which should not surprise me in an Irish bar. People are friendly and very welcoming and one of the Americans was telling me how great it is to live in China. It is beautiful and cheap and what he is NOT saying is that he can get more booty than he can shake a stick at! It was very refreshing to be able to socialise and not be gawked at, and for a moment recognise the language and the drinks. David walked me out and got me cab and I was on my way!