Day 207: Panda Caretakers for a Day in Chengdu
Today we had breakfast and left at 7:30 am for an 1.5-hour drive into the Sichuan countryside to meet some Giant Pandas.
On the ride I desperately tried to get James to nap. We stayed up past 10 last night and had a 6 am wakeup call today — a few of these in a row and James is a wreck. Makes everyone miserable.
He didn’t sleep.
Instead we worked on a crossword together from Lobsy’s English-language Chinese newspaper. We chuckled/eye-rolled/gasped in horror at a political cartoon that showed a doofus-y Uncle Sam preaching human rights at a chalkboard, while a hoary, bearded character labeled “history” leaned through the window, pointing and laughing in mockery.
Hmpff.
These same newspapers have been blaming US media day after day for stoking the unrest in Hong Kong. All very fascinating to see the propaganda machine.
By 9 am we were rolling in to the Dujiangyan Giant Panda Research Center, a sanctuary and protective center for rescued pandas.
Some people come to visit/view pandas. Some pay extra to be a volunteer caretaker for the day. That was us.
Our guide Carol, whom we adore, scooted us to the briefing room, where we all got matching green volunteer golf shirts and signed some disclaimers. Then we put our bags in lockers and set off to get our hands dirty.
First assignment: remove all old, chewed-up bamboo from an outdoor panda pen and sweep til clean. Done.
Then, take fresh shoots of bamboo and slam them on the ground to split the shoot/tenderize them for the pandas. I tried to do this with Willa and ended up with a gigantic bruise on my right thigh. Teddy was really good at it.
Next: Haul all fresh bamboo back into the pen.
By the way, all of this work was for a panda with only one hind leg!! Researchers found him in the wild suffering from an attack from another animal. They had to amputate.
We spent the rest of the day mesmerized by the pandas in their pleasant little outdoor habitats. The only time I’ve “seen” a panda is at the National Zoo in DC, where if you’re lucky, you spot something mildly black and white in the distance about 100 yards away. These pandas were pleased and happy and playful and **right there.**
They’re so cute because they look like sweet lazy bears but have the human-style motor skills of apes. Like humans in panda costumes. I love them.
The best part was when we had to clean out an indoor caged enclosure. Lobsy and Teddy sat this part out. Willa and James loved it. First of all, Willa loves a sloppy, messy project. James just loves a hose and squeegee. So together, this was heaven. They could’ve spent 10 hours cleaning out this three-legged panda’s cage.
And for us, after all the hotels this year, it was awesome to see them roll up their sleeves and clean up after someone ELSE.
Also, funny, Lobsy has a hatred of pandas that’s well-known in her family. Apparently back in 2005 when Ling Ling and Sing Sing had a baby at the National Zoo (or something like that), and everyone was gushing/freaking out across the country — Lobsy took one look at the rodent-like newborn panda and announced she was repulsed by it. The reaction she got to her contrarian-ism was funny and Lobsy got branded a panda-hater. She ran with it.
So this was particularly amusing to everyone back home. You’re going to China to take care of what animal??
Well, funny enough, that baby panda from DC is all grown up and now LIVES IN CHENGDU AT THIS SANCTUARY. Name is Tai Shan.
Lobsy and Tai Shan had an actual “moment” of reconciliation. And now all is good between them. Lobsy’s okay with pandas now.
We wrapped the day by feeding pandas!!
And making them some panda “cakes,” too.
And took a quick set of pics…
By 12:30, we were back in the van and headed home, sad to leave these special creatures.
James AND Willa napped on the way back, thank god.
Lunch was at a local restaurant near our hotel — we had chicken, duck, dumplings, noodles and rice. It was pretty good. Every patron in the place stared at us. No one spoke English. We had to do a lot of waving and pointing and guessing with the servers.
At our hotel, I decided I wanted to get a facial at the spa, and Lobsy very generously offered to pick up the tab as my birthday present.
The humidity, smog, sweating and sun is wreaking havoc on my face, and it shows. Was glad for a little self-care — and some solo time.
Meanwhile, Teddy took the kids to the pool….the opposite of me-time spa pampering.
We met up for dinner at an Italian restaurant downstairs from our hotel. Strangely, it was only the second restaurant dinner we’ve eaten the five of us together on this whole trip with Lobsy — at least one of us has been sick for the others. My appetite’s back and we had some nice wine and pasta.
We went to bed excited to “sleep in” tomorrow – didn’t have to meet Carol til 9 am!
MISC:
This is the farthest we’ve felt from home. It’s been rare this year to walk up to a service person — like in a restaurant or in a shop — politely ask, “Do you speak English?” and get a totally blank stare on the other end. It’s mostly that here.
It’s made for some seriously lost-in-translation moments — just a steady flow of them, actually. Fortunately it’s mostly entertaining and we can laugh at our own ignorance/stupid-tourist selves. It’s good to be humbled.
I’m reading “Wild Swans,” a three-generation memoir that covers that last 100 years in China — wow. Very good.
