Pandas!
I was woken up by the call of a rooster on the farmland of
the rural hotel I’d spent the night (classic) to a snowy, yet sunny morning!
Today we would go to visit the pandas on top of the mountain! I was oddly
rather excited, I’m not sure why, because i’d previously never really
understood people’s love for pandas. I know it’s harsh, but I always viewed
them as rather helpless animals due to their poor ability to breed and inefficient need for excessive sustenance. A hard Darwinian mindset would surely dictate that it's fate that they should become extinct
– not saying I want them to die! I just didn’t see why we chose to interfere to
such an extent compared with other endangered species, and that nature should
be left to run its course (minus the horrendous poaching for sport which took
place in the past) to see whether they had the evolutionary strength for
survival. But the Giant Panda reserve had gained a lot of hype from people I’ve
met who have visited, and voted the top attraction online for the entire Sichuan
province – so I guess I was curious to see why, and to see an endangered
species stirred my concerns for nature conservation.
By the end of the visit I gained a full understanding of why
pandas are so popular, and I too am now a member of the fan club!
There’s just something about their mannerisms, almost human
like in character which makes you empathise more for their endangering
situation. The older ones were always spotted lying against a wall in the most
undignified pose in front of crowds, picking branches from a pile stacked in
front of them and constantly stuffing their faces. They displayed the personality
of the most relaxed person you could imagine – maybe with a hint of a flabby
slob, but a lovable one at that.
All the photos appear to make them look like passionate karaoke singers...
The baby pandas were especially adorable – rolling around on
their backs, inspecting foreign object almost like human toddlers. You can see
something in their eye which somehow on some level triggers an emotional
response to suddenly desire to lunge over the fence and give them a big cuddle,
telling them ‘it’s ok, I will save you! Everything is gonna be fine ‘n’ dandy
from here on’.
They’re also such peculiar and bizarre works of nature by
their appearance; they look almost as if they should be the product of a domesticated
animal, like a cat or a dog. I mean, can you imagine seeing one in the wild? That
you could be plodding through the monotonous greenery of the forest for a huge
furry black and white thing to come down from a tree? Hopefully I’ll revisit
Sichuan in a few months to Jiuzhaigou national park where pandas have been spotted
in the while in the past – and although it’s a long shot –I hope I can see one
in its natural habitat!
Arriving at the base of Mount Emei
Later that day we left for a 3 hour coach journey to Emei
city at the base of Mount Emei. Somehow, we managed to bag ourselves a really
pleasant hotel originally worth 400 kuai (40 pounds) per night for 60 (6
pounds)! The city itself was very delightful, like no other city I’d visited in
China – it was relaxed and slow paced! I love Guangzhou, but man, I can give a
long list of stress-related symptoms in terms of the hectic environment. Here
though the people on the streets were sparse and looked alert, more relaxed,
and they smiled! The environment at night was especially grand with traditional
architecture, housing cosy restaurants giving off the most pleasant smells of
spices. As we had only one night here we went to the classiest looking of all,
which sat beside a river which reflected the glistening lights of the
surrounding traditional Chinese tea houses – this was the China I came for!
After filling up on a luxurious local fried rice dish I returned to my shiny
hotel for my most comfortable night in ages, preparing my body for the bone- obliterating
climb which lay ahead.
Zai'jian!
Everyone was wearing these hats in Sichuan, I just had to get Yinzi one...
Zai'jian!
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