I'm thinking I should have put "some lunch" in tiny letters here....so I wouldn't mind at all if you're not interested in Pandas, if you came back another day......but otherwise......
Even though the San Diego Zoo has had a long love affair with Pandas, the one place on my list for Chengdu was the "Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding", whew, that's a mouthful. I'm not quite sure why....but I really wanted to check the place out. And apparently, so did a host of other folks....
The base itself is a bit over 200 acres...making it quite large. There are different trails to take, a large lake, a museum, panda food processing center, etc, etc.......
But of course, we were here to see pandas..... so we headed off, past the ponds....
We thought we saw something as we turned a corner......
But no, these were Red Pandas...cute in their own sense, but nothing like the giant pandas we wanted a glimpse of.
In my reading I found that red pandas belong to the family musteloidea, more closely related to weasels and skunks than the giant panda.
As we meandered along the trails, past the empty nursery (it was not quite the season for little ones), I was prepared for not really seeing a giant panda....which wouldn't have been such a bad thing as I could always go to the San Diego Zoo to see them. Then as we walked down one of the trails we saw this.....(feel free to click on the photos to enlarge)
Laying down, lazily munching on some bamboo......
Suddenly the Panda decided to sit up.......possibly recalling that mom always said never to eat lying down..."you might choke on something!"
All the while having a firm grip on bamboo....never missing a beat, all done in a leisurely fashion.
Only to decide that supine was only way to eat.........I'm sure this one approved of breakfast in bed.
As we walked pass the pandas, the Missus was totally gaga over them, it made me wonder.....
What made pandas so cute....was it the head to body proportion? Or perhaps the white and black color and the black around the eyes that made them look larger? Or perhaps the somewhat ambling movement that made the panda seem to be eternally dawdling?
For some reason, I really enjoyed watching them grasp their food, in an almost human way......I guess I could really relate to that. I recall seeing something on one of those channels once, about how the pleasure center of the brain got going after just a brief glimpse of something "cute".....
Heck maybe fellow blogger Lynnea can tell me why...........
Because in the end......
I decided that knowing the why's would take all the fun out of it.......it was better just to forget about it and enjoy......
Which is what we did at the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base.
It was a bit past normal lunchtime when we left the Panda Center and the Missus' cousin here was really not food-centric...so we could really understand the effort he had put in during the past two days...heck, we'd be bushed too. So we didn't blame him at all for choosing one of the tourist type restaurants right across the street from the Panda Breeding Center for lunch.
And the food, unlike many tourist centric restaurants in other countries (including our own) wasn't too bad.
Here's another item that folks living in the Western world sometimes find strange...remember, cucumber is a gourd and it is treated as such....
Remember my $1 cucumber recipe or Zi Su Jian Huang Gua?
Some of the dishes seemed to be part of the parade of Sichuan's greatest hits......
Though that Mapo Doufu wasn't bad at all.......
Needless to say we didn't leave hungry. It was onward to our next stop Wenshu Temple.
Thanks for reading!
what a great place to visit!
Posted by: kat | Thursday, 12 January 2012 at 09:28 PM
Hi Kat - It was!
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 12 January 2012 at 09:42 PM
Photo #11 is now my computer wallpaper. Thanks! Your statement "recalling that mom always said never to eat lying down" reminded me of my mom and her admonition that we should never lie down after we ate because we would sprout horns like a cow. I woke up several times crying because I was afraid I had horns.
Posted by: AZ | Friday, 13 January 2012 at 12:07 AM
Cute photographs.
Posted by: SomTommy | Friday, 13 January 2012 at 07:11 AM
Hi AZ - My what our parents say to get us to behave appropriately! I'm glad you liek the photos.
Thanks ST!
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 13 January 2012 at 07:13 AM
I never thought about what makes pandas so cute, but they are! I wish we had gone to the center when we were in Chengdu. How close were the pandas? I assume there some sone sort of barrier between the people and pandas.
Once a friend was complaining about how rampant the bamboo in his yard was, and how difficult it was to get rid of. The answer? Get a panda.
Posted by: Sandy | Friday, 13 January 2012 at 08:05 AM
I love pandas. I think their cuddliness is part of the attraction. And they seem so carefree.
Posted by: Carol | Friday, 13 January 2012 at 08:21 AM
If the zoo had that kind of food, we'd be members!
Posted by: Janfrederick | Friday, 13 January 2012 at 08:43 AM
Hi Sandy - There was a barrier and a moat if I recall, but they were a lot closer than what is in place at the San Diego Zoo..... a lot more of them too...plus the youngsters. Love the overgrown bamboo solution! ;o)
Hi Carol - They sure are darn cute.
LOL Jan.....
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 13 January 2012 at 03:03 PM
Awwww, those pandas are so cute! I like their coloring and their huge heads! My daughter has a Ripley's Believe it or not book and in some parts of China, some people DYE their DOGS' FUR to look like Pandas, as well as zebras and tigers...isn't that animal abuse? 0_o
Posted by: caninecologne | Friday, 13 January 2012 at 09:19 PM
Hi CC - I read that article...here it is:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1284646/Meet-Tiger-Dog-Chinese-owners-dye-pets-look-like-wild-animals.html
Kinda crazy, huh?
Posted by: Kirk | Saturday, 14 January 2012 at 06:13 PM
It looks like they use a lot of oil in the food, but it looks good anyway. Spicy but good
Posted by: grey | Sunday, 15 January 2012 at 12:32 AM
Hi Grey - The Chinese believe that appropriate amounts of oil need to be used because it's "the pathway to flavor" or osmething like that. This one wasn't too spicy...the stuff I had from Sab E Lee last night on the other hand....
Posted by: Kirk | Sunday, 15 January 2012 at 09:31 AM
I'm not a panda-crazy type of person (if the line at the zoo is too long, I'll just skip it), but that picture of the sleeping pandas is really cute! That looks like quite a lunch feast you had!
Posted by: Alyssa | Monday, 16 January 2012 at 07:38 AM
Hi Alyssa - The Missus isn't really one either....which is why I was so surprised She enjoyed the place so much!
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 16 January 2012 at 04:12 PM
What a fabulous article! And the food!! I get to go to Chengdu with a couple of fellow "pandaholics" in September - yup that's what we call those who can't get enough of pandas. Your blog has made me even more excited about our trip! Thank you!
Posted by: VW | Monday, 23 January 2012 at 10:45 PM
Hi VW - Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to comment! I hope the "pandaholic" crew gets their fill of them on your trip.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 24 January 2012 at 06:59 AM