China, Day 17. Guilin: Cormorant Fishermen

Our day was mostly a travel day. We flew from Chengdu (Sichuan) to Guilin (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region). The Guilin area is famous for its karst landforms – round green mountains of all shapes and sizes that rise from flat ground.

Joe and the kids and swam in the pool while I did a brief evening tour of the town (which is considered a small town in China of just 5 million people). 

Our first stop was to see cormorant fishermen. They go out on bamboo rafts with a few cormorants who are trained to fish for them. Each bird has a band around its neck which provides it with enough space to swallow small fish, but forces it to cough up bigger fish into its owner’s bucket.

There are two lanterns at the front of the raft to attract fish and provide the birds with light for fishing. When not free flying, the owner removes the neck bands and ties the birds to a pole by their feet. 

After watching the fishermen, we stopped by some of Guilin’s nighttime highlights – lit up pagodas and other attractions.

Tomorrow we cruise down the Li River!

China, Day 16. Chengdu: Pandas!!!

We enjoyed another fun and interesting breakfast buffet! The girls loved peeling and eating lychees.

 

We then went to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. We learned that the center cares for about 100 rescued and bred pandas. Giant Pandas are endangered and there are around 1,600 left in the world including those in zoos. We also learned about endangered red pandas. Apparently Giant Panda fur is desired, especially in Hong Kong, so there is the death penalty for anyone who harms a panda.

Sichuan is the home of Giant Pandas and 80% of the world's pandas live here. They live about 25 years in the wild and 30 in the center. Their preferred food is bamboo, specifically arrow bamboo which is 80% of their diet, but they also eat mutton and fish and vitamin bread. Because of people encroaching on their living space in the wild and the lack of bamboo, more and more wild pandas are rescued and brought to the center. They are skinny and their fur is discolored from their poor diet. They are rehabilitated at the center and released into a more suitable wild habitat. They do very well upon release. While mother pandas are 200 pounds, babies are only 50 grams when born. Pandas are thought to be mild, but mothers can be aggressive like grizzlies when they fear for their babies. 

We loved walking around the center. It was not like a zoo as it had beautiful grounds and very large enclosures to replicate a wild environment.

 

 

 It was very cool and rainy so the pandas were especially active. The first one we saw ran around a lot and climbed a tree. Its bottom was reddish because the earth here is red clay.

 

We saw a sleeping panda after that and then saw a panda eating his lunch.

After that, we saw six babies!!

Then we saw the newborns!!! This sweet one was born last month!

These panda twins (super rare) were born on June 23rd!!! Just three days ago!!!!

We saw red pandas too, but they were fast and we didn't get any great pictures of them. 

Then, of course, we hit the gift shop. I knew this is where Willa would spend most of her money.

 

(Yes, she got this.)

 

(And this.) 

(And she bought this backpack earlier!)

 

(Jia got this cute one.)

We had a lunch of the best Kung Pao Chicken ever (a classic Sichuan dish).

 

Then we walked through Jinli market which is lined with buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties.  

 

We crossed off another food bucket list item with these blown sugar animals!

 

(Many wishes on this tree!)

(Lotus blossoms.)

 

(An ear deep-cleaning service - not by doctors.)

This man is making a soybean stringy, powdery taffy-like sweet.

It was sort of like eating gooey shredded wheat.

More sugar animal candy.

 

 

Jia felt bad for this street performer so she paid 10 RMB to take pictures with him.

Speaking of pictures, we've had so many people ask to take pictures with us!

We bought some snacks for tomorrow. We are off to Guilin!