More from the Panda place

A few more quick notes about the Chengdu Panda Center.

 

In addition to the Giant Pandas, they had some other cool animals. We saw several red pandas, which are very rare as well and look more like raccoons than giant pandas. I feel sorta sorry for them – they are pandas too but because they resemble a rodent more than a cute teddy bear, they get no public love and adoration. Woe is the red panda. Here is a pic of one –

 

In the afternoon, we gathered along the banks of a lake that was at the Panda Center to have a conversation with Prof. Bill about Richard Nixon’s history and how it contributed to Nixon’s bold and historic outreach to China. Bill is the former Dean of the History department at Duke so the dude knows what he is talking about. I wish I had taken a class from him when I was there (or that I had paid attention in class) because he is a fountain of fascinating information. His lectures are packed with historical facts and tidbits that just make you smarter.

 

The lake we sat next to was filled with goldfish (I think they were actually carp). They have been conditioned over time to come up to the humans on the shore in search of food. It is quite a scene. The fish are son densely packed up against the edge of the lake that they almost form a solid mass of fish. Some of them quite literally flop on top of each other out of the water. Here is a pic that does not do it justice –

 

 

 

Lastly, a quick mention about the children of China. We ran into several grade school groups at the Panda Center. The kids were so energetic and engaging! They saw us and immediately began shouting “Hello! Hello! How are you?” in almost perfect English. We were able to engage in only very limited conversation with them, but it was clear they were well on their way to learning English. Everyone agreed that they kids will be our bosses in the future. China is just too big and has too many resources – they will be kicking America’s butt very soon… they probably already are.

 

Anyway, the kids just charmed us to death. Here is a shot of  Pam giving high-fives to all the kids as they wave at us.