Kung Fu Panda!

After our great visit to Jiuzhaigou we flew to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan.  Our two main reasons to visit Chengdu were the Panda Breeding Research Base and the giant Buddha in Leshan.  After a long travel day we took it easy at the hotel and ventured out only to grab some food. We knew we would need the rest in order to tackle the next two days, which would be full of activities.  Something we have learned on this trip is to pace ourselves.  Sacrificing a day or just half a day to recover is essential to really enjoy and absorb everything we see.

Panda Breeding Research Base

This is a panda facility located 10K outside of Chengdu.  It houses over 60 Giant Pandas and 20 Red Pandas and its primary focus is to understand Panda breeding habits in order to assure their survival in the wild.  We head out early in the morning the next day in a taxi to the Panda facility.  Another thing we have learned in China is that taxis, buses, and trains are economical, easy, and fast ways to reach tourist destinations. Once again we were not sure what to expect, but we were really excited to see the Pandas.  The facility has the Giant Pandas housed in various enclosures and they’re grouped together according to their age.   As Pandas become older they also become more aggressive, reason why they have to separate them.  We were planning on only spending a couple of hours at the base, but we were so enamored with these creatures that two hours turned into five hours.  We got to see Pandas of all ages feeding and playing with each other.  I also realized how it is possible to have a Kung Fu Panda.  These are actually very agile, strong and active creatures. While visiting the Sub-Adult (Teenage) enclosure we witnessed some of the coolest animal behavior either one of us had seen in our lives.  One of the farthest enclosures in the park housed seven of these teenage pandas.  When Court and I arrived there we had it all to ourselves.  For the next two hours these Pandas put on a show I could not imagine you can find or pay for anywhere else in the world.  They played with each other non-stop by wrestling and knocking each other off the trees and platforms.  It was absolutely fantastic! It was another high of the trip. Below we have some video footage of these “Kung Fu” Pandas.

Giant Buddha at Leshan
The biggest Buddha in the world carved into a mountain lying on the confluence of the Minjiang and Dadu rivers.  It was built with the hope that the Buddhist gods would calm the river and eliminate the devastating floods that were hitting the nearby towns. It actually worked! All the rock that was carved out of the mountain has actually helped contain the floods. Leshan is a two hour bus ride from Chengdu.  We spend the whole day here visiting the Giant Buddha and the Buddha Park adjacent to it.  It felt like we had landed in one of America’s theme parks. The place was packed with tourist.  Many locals and travelers flock here on the weekend to pray and pay their respects to the mightiest of Buddha’s.  Enjoy the pics below!

Unspoiled China: Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan Province

The flight to Jiuzhaigou brought me back memories from back home.  Right before our descent I look out the window and notice snowy peaks that stretch all the way out to the horizon, just like flying over The Rocky Mountains.  In his broken English the pilot announces that we have commenced our descent and should be on the ground shortly.  Ten minutes later I notice we are getting really close to these snowy peaks. They’re thick clouds surrounding us and I feel like I can just reach out the window and touch the snow.  I see no runway in sight or no opening where we would make a landing. In all my years of flying I have rarely felt any fear or panic, but this time was a little different.  I turn to Courtney and she has passed out. Wasn’t she awake just two minutes ago? It always amazes me how people on planes can fall asleep in an instant, it’s like they have an on/off switch.  Hmm, I guess I will have to tackle this alone.  I feel a little sweat coming down my forehead and the thought of reaching out for that snow sounds like a great idea, at least it will cool me off a little.  The clouds continue to be thick and in a matter of a few minutes we are in the middle of them.  I can’t see anything out the window. I just sit and hope for the best. Courtney is still passed out. At least it comforts me that she won't notice a thing.  The fear quickly dissipates when we descend below the cloud cover and this gorgeous valley appears before my eyes. We are still surrounded by huge mountains, but they are farther away now.  A couple of minutes later we land! Courtney also wakes up and the first thing she says is “That was a great flight, it went by so quick.”  Sure it was, I say.

Technically we had landed in Jiu Zhai Huang Long, which is two hours away by car from Jiuzhaigou, our final destination.  Jiuzhaigou is located in the northern part of the Sichuan province.  It is kind of a gateway into Tibet and the Himalayas, reason for all the mountains.  This part of China was very different from the big metropolitan cities we had visited.  The airport was tiny and it was in a truly remote area. As we exited the airport, bus and taxi drivers harassed us in search of our business.  After haggling for about 10 minutes we find a guy that is willing to take us to our hotel.  As we walk to the driver’s car I tell him “please drive slow”.  He looks at me and smiles...He has no idea what I just said.  We board his VW Jetta and we zoom off! This guy was a frustrated Formula 1 (NASCAR for American readers) driver. As we speed down the windy road into the valley, Court and I strap on our seatbelts and grasp on as hard as we can.  The road is absolutely beautiful though and the highway is in immaculate condition.  The lanes are clearly delineated for oncoming traffic, but that does little to deter our driver from switching lanes and passing cars on blind spots.  Sitting down I am thinking, “lesson learned over here, next time learn how to say drive slow in Chinese.” Maybe it will come in handy in the afterlife.  I am being a little dramatic, but we made a two-hour drive in one hour and ten minutes!  I wanted to ask him if that was his record time, but he would have probably just looked at me and smiled.

The initial sights in our drive to our hotel were very impressive.  This place is beautiful! You hear about China having a lot of pollution and how they have destroyed their environment, but this place has been protected in an immaculate manner. The main reason people come and visit this part of the world is to see the Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve.  I was not sure what to expect from this place since the pictures I found weren’t of great quality.   After our flight and drive we imagined it must be great. The next day we wake up early and walk to the park.   We end up staying the whole day there.  It is impossible for me to describe in words the beauty of this place. It was absolutely pristine. Court and I end up walking some of the trails for about six hours.  The trails were filled with one scenic spot after another.  Absolutely astonishing! Anyway, I will let the pictures do the rest of the talking.  After our visit here, Jiuzhaigou became one of our favorite places on the planet.  Enjoy the pics!

The park is lined up with gorgeous Cherry Blossom trees

Long Lake

Colorful Pond

Rhinoceros Lake