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English Version 36
Wednesday 07.05.08
Chengdu 15.00
I sit on my bed in my new room. I changed yesterday to a single room.
Unfortunately from the backyard till the street. The bed must have been
shortened to fit the room. A normal dane wouldn`t have been able to lie
here. It gets hot during the day, but then there is a fan on the wall. I
had it on during the night where I against all odds slept all the way
through from 24 till 6. Was off early for the Giant Panda Breeding and
Research Centre. It was way back from where I came some days ago. Lonely
Planet doesn`t recommend cycling there, but....
I was forced to park with the cars, so I was 20 min`s behind my schedule
when I arrived. They don`t want to bother you, it`s just that nothing
happens to the bike. They`re concerned about you, that`s the way to see
it I think. There were no price for bikes, but he asked for 1RMB and got
it.
The centre was a wonderful experience. You go by paths through
bamboo-woods, that cover your head and reach the enclosures. There`s no
bamboo there (certain reasons) but other kind of diverted vegetation,
that allow you to see the pandas. They are fed in the morning, that`s
why you have to be here early. The rest of the time they sleep. Except
those 2-5 years old, they are the most active. Saw an interessting film,
which showed a first time delivering panda mother and her lack of
knowledge and experience with such a little screaming alien weighing
only 100 g.
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| Breakfast eating panda | All was quiet in the panda park |
After that I went to the Zoo, which was on the way back and whose
panda facilities couldn`t match that of the centre, but in all other
ways was equal to the Zoo of Copenhagen fx.
I met NO foreigners there. It`s no doubt been improved a lot since the
description in LP. The parking at the Zoo was 5! It showed to be mao -
0.1 RMB. I only had 3 or 5RMB, so he took the 3.
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| You could pay for a picture with the sealion | Or with a camel in the nubian dessert |
Washing my underwear is one of my routines but now my wash powder?
Has been stolen. I think I left5 it upstairs at the sink the first
evening. I`m so annoyed and quite certain it`s not a Chinese that has
nicked it. It`s one of those foreigners! Not to rely on. I really mean
it. I`m much more concerned and careful with my belongings here, than
those other places I sleep at night. Here are too many people - and
they`re lao wei - foreigners. It`s not that 5th of a euro it cost me,
it`s the trouble getting such a small bag of it again. (I have found it)
And I was through with tea. Took the package to the Trust Mart and
showed it. Meiyou! Then I had to go looking for myself between all those
bags with Chinese characters. I found one with a picture that looked
like jasmine tea and you bet, there was a touching story on the back in
English telling that Sichuan people enjoy sitting with a cup of this tea
in the hand when it gets dark and have a chat.
So you din`t have it??!! (I know what she meant but....)
About daily life in Sichuan I have to mention that it was first time I
saw the peasants harvest with a (you know those bended knifes they used
in old times). And hit the crop with a (a stick, a piece of leather and
more sticks)! Just as in the old times about 100 years ago. And dry the
crop on the concrete piece in front of the house. They do it like that
up north too I`m sure, but only later in the year.