Chengdu: Day 3 (11/13/19)
Probably the largest tourist attraction in Chengdu is the Panda Breeding Research Center, and is where I set my sights today. The Center has its own subway station, so I thought it would be a cake walk to get there. I was wrong of course. The subway station didn’t actually go directly to the Center, instead it dropped off at Xiongmao (Panda) Avenue, which has a bus route to the Research Center. I didn’t have the local Google map downloaded, and my hostel map wasn’t accurate on distances, so I didn’t feel comfortable walking to the base even though it looked do-able. Instead I fumbled my way through buying a bus ticket and rode a tour bus, complete with tour guide explanations and direction in Mandarin, about 15 minutes to the actual base entrance.
Having disembarked I was bamboozled once again, thinking that the large curved glass building with massive panda banners was the entrance, when in fact it was a shopping mall and the true entrance was the giant panda face off in the distance. I was hugely relieved when I saw park tickets being bought and the “Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding” official nameplate. I watched other people buying their tickets, counted out my money ahead of time, and acquired my ticket smoothly and professionally like a regular human being. I really did feel proud of myself for finally managing to buy something in China without making a fool of myself tho hehe.
I snagged a park map, thankfully in English, and from there it was just a long walk following the “This way to visit pandas!” signs. Which was fine by me, I was jazzed and full of adventurous spirit. Plus the scenery was gorgeous with tons of bamboo tunnels and flowerbeds. Eventually I arrived at the panda enclosurse and got my first look at one of the poofy lads! Well … his poofy butt at least. It must have been near feeding time or something because all of the pandas were waiting at their respective metal grates for food or to go inside or whatnot. It was pretty crowded so I opted to move on and was very excited that it was lunch time in the second enclosure, meaning I got to watch one of the cuties on a swing, chomping down on a fresh pile of bamboo. Extremely cute!
I continued through the giant panda enclosures and ducked inside the giant panda building, which had more chillin’ pandas. At the far end of the building though was me target - the baby pandas! Holy moley mother of stromboli they were absolute heartthrobs! They were all napping on their tummies and would occasionally roll over, eliciting a chorus of applause from everyone watching. It was excellent. One of them was even being filmed, I imagine for his criminal cuteness.
From there I meandered into the red panda area. Most people didn’t appear to see them through the foliage and just walked right, by I spent a while searching them out among the trees and spotted quite a few. I think I might like them more than the giant pandas, something about their tails and how they act like polite raccoons. It was pretty dead in the red panda area too, which was nice for a break from the crowds inside.
A little recharged, I checked my map and planned out a route to hit all the remaining exhibits and buildings, only to be intercepted by a peacock. On the path. Just walking around. My first reaction was surprise which quickly turned into nervousness as the bird stalked straight towards me. Looking back, I assume it was seeking a snack, being a park resident, but all I thought of at the time was “I don’t know how to deal with peacocks! Do I make noise like a bear?!? Do I turn around and walk away?? Run?”. Fortunately I was spared a swift death by rainbow bird when it got bored of pecking around, jumped 3 feet vertical onto the fence, and then fluttered off into the underbrush. I was still standing there dumbfounded when the next group of tourists came down the path.
Returning to the bamboo tunnels I walked back towards the entrance and entered the Key Labratory, which I had passed by earlier that day. Lots of videos and signs about panda ecology, history, and their place in popular culture - pretty much what you would expect from a public exhibit at a nature park. From there I visited the gift shops and restaurants where I bought a few taiyaki, kind of like a bean paste-filled waffle in the shape of a fish. Delicious of course, made even better by the fact that it was fresh off the grill.
It was about 4 pm at that point and I was ready to head back, which of course got complicated. See, the bus that brought me to the base stopped running at 3pm, so I had to find a way back to the subway network without a map or Google, since I didn’t have the area downloaded. I bounced back and forth between the different bus stops in the area (there were like 8 of them), brimming with anxiety that I would choose the wrong one or get off at the wrong stop or the world would end, before finding a tour guide that I showed my destination to and wrote down a bus line and stop number. So finally, after almost an hour of running around like a chicken with its head cut off, I managed to get on the right bus only to get off too early! AAAAHHHH!!! Fortunately I knew what street I was on and figured I could walk the mile or so to the subway station.
That walk actually turned out to be really nice. The weather was still perfect for being outside in a t-shirt and it gave me a chance to see the outskirts of Chengdu and calm down. It reminded me a lot of small cities in the US, mixed with a bit of the concrete/sheet metal buildings of Kathmandu. Lots of construction, billboards, open air cafes, auto repair shops, and the occasional strip mall. I eventually arrived at my intersection but couldn’t locate the subway entrance for the life of me. I fretted around for a bit before spotting a small police car which I approached and the officer pointed me in the right direction with hand gestures. Turns out I was a couple blocks east of where I thought. I followed his instructions and was heavily relieved to be back in familiar territory. By the time I got back to my hostel it was dark out and I was famished.
I chose a restaurant that was kitty corner to the hostel since I didn’t want to walk far, and took a seat. It was a lot more formal than the other places I had eaten at, and many of the tables were full of older people in suits drinking and sharing a meal. I had no idea what anything on the menu, so the waitress and I mimed out that I didn’t know what I was doing and wanted something spicy, and GOOD LORD did she deliver! She brought out a chicken and prawn dish that absolutely FLOORED me. I’m pretty sure it was the spiciest thing I had ever eaten in my entire life! The entire dish was covered with halved garlic clovers, dried red peppers, fresh red and green peppers, and whole peppercorns. I was sweating, coughing, crying, and enjoying every minute of it! I didn’t order rice initially, which got me a questioning glance, but the moment the waitress checked in on me I tapped my rice bowl and she nodded knowingly before filling me up so I could cut the spice. I nearly ate the entire bowl, which I imagine was meant for two or three people, over the course of about 45 minutes. I got the leftovers packaged up for me and returned to my bed, stuffed, mouth still burning, and ready to pass out.
