Chengdu: 🐼-Base

Madam, sir - Good morning!

How are you?

Ok, fun😛

Today was a great day!

We got up comfortably at 6 am after 4 hours of sleep 😴😕

Our eyes indeed resembled the smiley 😳

The meeting point was at the reception at 7 am, but we underestimated the punctual Dutchies (not!!!!!!).

But let's start at the beginning.

Last night, after our super delicious meal, we sat in the lounge for a while.

At our table, there were two other boys, it was not hard for Germans to recognize that they were Dutch.

And we don't remember why, but they approached us.

Gerben & Allan. Soooo cool guys, and as it turned out in the conversation, two gay guys 😛 (some say no homo - these guys are absolutely amazing 😂).

In any case, we made an appointment with them for this morning (originally at 7 am) because they, like us, wanted to see the Panda Base.

The black guy from yesterday (Henry) said, "If you have been in Chengdu without seeing the Pandas - it's like you haven't been in Chengdu." 😛 so, we stupidly listened and did it🤦🏽‍♀️

Well, so we were ready at 7 am, as always (German basic law, Lara hates unpunctuality). They arrived at 20 past 7, very chilled. Our suspicion: Allan (31 years old, looks like 12, we lovingly call him Grandpa) fell asleep in the shower.

At least we still couldn't see his eyes even after Nescafe🤷🏽‍♀️

We took a taxi there (taking a bus without speaking Chinese is a big problem here🤦🏽‍♀️), the driving style leads to another suspicion: we believe that you can buy it here at the supermarket.🚕💸

We arrived and started running. And the two really ran, "Omg the Pandas... look at this, Look at that,.... let's be the First..." that completely got us out of our relaxed walking pace 🏃‍♀️💁🏽‍♀️ (well, we wanted to do a little morning exercise like the old people here).

The Panda Base was established in 1997 as a sanctuary for wild Pandas. Nowadays, its purpose is to preserve the genes of the animals and save them from extinction. Sick animals are also cared for and rehabilitated there. The park has around 50 pandas (babies, grandpas and grandmas, moms and dads, and a few red pandas).😍

Every cent was worth it (entrance fee only about €5 - a bargain).

What could be sweeter than watching pandas devour tons of bamboo, then play and digest for 1 hour, and then (like us) fall into an after-eating coma? 😍😍😍 that was truly panda heaven 🐼

The animals are incredibly cute and move so slowly and clumsily 🤦🏽‍♀️

Well, in any case, a few wrestled briefly and then fell into a deep sleep completely exhausted. Every day the same. That would be an absolute dream life for us. (Pandas even sit down to eat☝🏽 That's what we call manners... haven't experienced anything like that in a long time)

Anyway, it's not like a zoo - the animals live as if in their natural environment. 🍃🌿

(the red pandas - they are smaller and more agile and sit at the very top of the trees 😛)

By now, we don't know if the pandas or the Dutchies were cuter 😂😂😂🤷🏽‍♀️

Afterwards, we went to a park here with the sweeties (People's Park). They even have a decibel meter here... we can relate to that because they can't speak a word in a normal volume🙈 THEY SHOUT!! FROM MORNING TILL EVENING 📢

Today, we actually dared to try street food... Damn, it was really delicious... we had so many different things here (unfortunately, we can't explain what everything was.. but they do eat everything in 🥟 dumplings).

After fortifying ourselves with yet another tasty coffee (the Dutch have some kind of talent for that), we went back to the hotel.

In the evening, we went out again with our gay friends (we're just having such a good time with the oldies. 🙌🏽 Incredibly open, relaxed, completely overloaded but soooooo nice) and again ventured to stands by the street... and damn, it was soooooooo 😋 tasty 🤤

Unfortunately, the two of them are leaving tomorrow, just like us...

BUT! We will be in Hong Kong at the same time, so we will meet them again☝🏽 Until then, our homework is to try more things from street vendors....

We'll see 🙄🙄🙄

(so far, everything is still fine with our stomachs)😛😂 (unfortunately, not so much with the guy above us in the hotel, he's vomiting loudly... just so you know 🤢🤮)

So, gn8, buonanotte!