Today was an awesome day. I picked up panda poop, smashed some bamboo, and was more than a little startled when a terrifying-looking centipede landed on my foot—in addition to pandas, there were a lot of bugs at the Panda Center!

We set out on the bus this morning on our journey into the cloudy, majestic mountains near Dujiangyan. Picture the mountains in Kung Fu Panda, because the movie was actually based on the Panda Research Base. Upon arrival, we suited up and were put to work cleaning up after the pandas. We put on some awesome matching green polos, scooped poop and picked up bamboo leaves in the panda enclosure. Even though we were picking up feces, I think the tourists there were a bit jealous because we were just that much closer to the pandas. There seems to be a bit of a religion around pandas here, in China and within the group. They are considered the spirit of China, according to the documentary we watched. After cleaning up after the pandas, we got to make their food a bit easier to chew by “cracking” the bamboo stalks against the ground. It was insanely fun. There was no better way to relieve any stress than by obliterating a bamboo stalk on the sidewalk. 🙂

We each got to feed the pandas after they ate 60 pounds (!) of bamboo. We had some fantastic photo ops with these beautiful animals. There is something so peaceful (almost spiritual) about being around pandas. They sleep around 20 hours each day; for the four hours they are awake, they consume 60 pounds of bamboo, play, poop, and climb trees. What a life.

That night we were able to check out more of the markets around the hotel. We found a spectacular pastry stall and a lot of the group was able to successfully order some great bubble tea. It was a hit. That night we met as a group to reflect and check up on the progress of our research projects. Each night we tell the rest of the group several things: First, our highs for the day; second, our lows for the day; and third, a shoutout to someone or something from the day. It’s a great way to reflect and bond at the end of the day. Tomorrow we will be visiting a World Heritage Site and hiking up “The Kung Fu Panda Mountain” (Mount Qingchang!). I can’t wait for more adventures to come!