Day 9: “P” is for Panda

Today we are going to the conservation centre to see Chinas most famous resident, the Giant Panda!

We got up early so we could find an ATM and have breakfast before checking out of the hotel at 8am; our breakfast was served in the hotel adjoining us and was definitely the best we have had so far! I had pancakes with maple syrup which was a welcome change.

After breakfast, we boarded the bus to drive to the panda centre; it was a 30 minute journey but thankfully the car park was reasonably quiet when we arrived so we wouldn’t have to fight our way through the crowds. On the way to the sanctuary, Cindy gave us some information about pandas for example, they have been around for over 2 million years, they only eat 2 types of bamboo out of hundreds and most importantly, they are not fluffy! She also told us that they are going extinct because they are not good at mating and at times, are shown “panda porn” to re-jig their memory, maybe they should do that in Edinburgh! Our guide showed us around some of the enclosures before leaving us at the young panda area for 45 minutes; it was fantastic watching the young ones and we even got to see a panda that was born 5 days before we arrived (it was in an incubator). Our group met up again and we wandered along to the red panda enclosures; they are also an endangered species. We were taking photos and watching them be fed until we realised the group had gone; there were four of us left behind but thankfully after 5 minutes walking down the hill, we found them. Previously another couple had missed the meeting point but we still hadn’t found them; I think Tony was starting to worry a little! Don’t worry, we eventually found them at the exit!

After walking about for 3 hours, it was lunch time. We were going to a local restaurant beside the panda centre so didn’t have far to walk. Our bus also drove from the car park to the restaurant so we could swap our bags over onto a new coach. This was the start of a very long bus journey!

Earlier in the day, we were told that the Yangtze River was too low at the port where we were due to board so we would have to drive to the next port, Feng Du. The initial drive to Chongqing, our original embarkation point and China`s most populated city with 33million people, was 4.5 hours. We had a stop in between where we got to go for a “happy room” break and get some supplies; chocolate, crisps, juice and a panda soft toy who we named Tony! It was a 20 minute break as the driver, by law, is required to stop driving for a minimum of 20 minutes every 4 hours. There is also a really irritating bell and a speaker which talks to the driver if he starts to get close to the speed limit. 

On arrival in Chongqing, we again swapped buses to make the 2 hour journey to Feng Du. A few of the staff on the boat, also came on our bus as they had to get to the new port. We had one toilet stop which was memorable only because the water for washing your hands was dark yellow; thankfully we all had hand sanitiser and wet wipes! The journey to Feng Du was incredible; I have never seen so many tunnels and bridges. The tunnels went through the mountains and varied in length. The bridges also varied in size and structure but there was no doubt that the engineering of them was unbelieveable. We talk about China being a developing country, but in many ways, they are miles ahead of us!

That isn’t our boat, but its similar!

We arrived in Feng Du about 8pm which meant we had missed dinner on the ship; thankfully Tony had pre-arranged a late buffet dinner so we were all delighted. We were then given our cabin keys so that we could turn in and go to bed. Our cabin was on deck 4, there are 6 on the boat; first is for the crew, second has some cabins, the main buffet restaurant and the front desk, third has cabins and shops, fourth has cabins and shops, fifth has the bar and sixth is for those in the executive club who upgraded the amenities package (a la carte restaurant and private lounges). There is also an upper deck where you can sunbathe on the top of the ship. Our luggage was also delivered to our cabin so we didn’t have to think about anything; Tony had it all covered!

We had now been travelling for hours and any sensible person would have gone to bed, but after we unpacked, we decided to go to the bar; we weren’t the only ones! 9 of us plus Tony decided to go for a nightcap; we ended up with 3 bottles of wine! There was an offer to buy two and get one free so we thought that would last the trip.....considering we would be getting free drink with dinner and the happy hour before it!