Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 5am in the morning and by 7.30am I am at this incredible place.Kinda has a Jurassic Park feel to it from the outside.I was really looking forward to this. I wanted for so long to hold one of those furry creatures.But having read about it, I decided against it. Pandas can sometimes be susceptible to human disease.
And I would not want to put one in harm's way for my selfish reasons. Plus I realised on my travels that just because something looks fun, it might not be. And also because it's super expensive. Would have wiped me out and have consequences on the rest of my trip.
Anyway to the positive, and what a way to start the day.
So why was I up so early?Supposedly the baby pandas are up at 6am, and back to sleep behind closed doors by 9am. This short window is the only time allowed to the public to see them as they feed.So here I was.Did I get to see them though?Nope.More of that later. I was bummed, but I still got to see these amazing animals up front.What an experience, right up there with all the others. Just wish I could see them in the wild.
The Leshan Giant Buddha is a 71 metre tall stone statue, built between 713 and 803 depicting Maitreya.Maitreya is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology.Its carved on the cliff face of Cretaceous red bone sandstones.We arrived at the top of the statue, and it was just incredible looking at the sheer scale of the statue.
There were attractions all around the square. Museums everywhere, but below me, I hadn't realised there was a huge underground shopping area.
So after a few last snaps, and feeling the cold somewhat, I headed down to see if I could find food to warm me up.
Photos EOS 4000D.