We hopped off of the long distance bus around 4:30 pm and was greeted with near freezing winds at the eerily quiet and closed Gengda bus station. After gathering our bags and zipping up our jackets, we made our way to the intern apartments about 1/4 mile up the street. As Giulia and Shalyn were still up at Shenshuping, we helped ourselves to their apartment and plugged into the internet until they arrived. I had never met them in person before, so it was nice to finally put faces to the names.

After a quick greeting and catch-up on the local events, we hit the vacant streets in search of an open dinner spot. With two choices to pick from we decided on the restaurant at the top of the main thoroughfare. This dinner marked a first for PDXWildlife as we have never had more than 4 interns in the same spot at one time. To say the least, we made up a pretty good gang of panda protectors. With a few adult beverages and some local delicacies filling our stomachs, we jumped back into the cold, slightly stiff air, and walked back to the apartments. The following day I had to meet with the base managers to iron out a few logistical details, so we all crashed around 9:00 pm.

As we sat waiting for the bus at 8:15, the temperature was hovering around 32 F. The base usually employed a full-sized bus to pick everyone up, but due to the low number of base workers currently at Shenshuping, a microbus showed up in its place. Pulling through the streets I immediately noticed the amount of construction taking place. It looked as though everyone was in drastic remodel mode for the impending onslaught of the breeding and tourist seasons. Gengda, it seems, is growing up very quickly.

Arriving at the research center, the bus had to dodge push carts, tools, piles of sand and gravel, and countless hard-hat toting workers all headed to the panda base. I was amazed to see 3 or 4 giant cranes, plenty of scaffolding, and what looked like 1000’s of freshly planted trees. Walking up stairs to our office, the hallways were filled with dust and the nearby hammering of skilled workers. Our original office was now wall-less and boarded off. Apparently, we have been moved twice since last being here two months ago. After sitting down in what I thought was our new office, I looked outside to see that the entire base was under a huge remodel. The breeding center looked like a construction war-zone completely absent of any bears. After walking around the base, all of the pens have now received numerous tree plantings and small updates with enriching structures. It was hard for me to envision what the end product is going to look like, but the additional modifications to the breeding center and the inviting tree-lined walkways are sure to make it a better experience for both the bears and human beings.

With a quick tour and after my meeting, we walked down the steep hill to scope out a few homestays and to see what else the city had to offer. For those of you who have visited Gengda, you understand that it’s a pretty quick walk and that there isn’t a whole lot to see. We capped the rest of the day with food and a final dinner. It was quite a treat for me to get everybody together and to meet Shalyn and Giulia before they finish their internship on Friday. Tomorrow, everybody will depart and say their goodbyes as I head back home to Portland and the Bifengxia interns head back to Ya’an.

Before I depart, I want everyone to know how thankful Meghan and I are for each of you and the time that you have devoted to PDXWildlife. Take care of yourselves and one another.

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Nathan is a PDXWildlife biologist and will be traveling home to Portland, Oregon over the next few days. This trip was made possible from donations from our followers and supporters. Thank you. To make more of these trips possible, please visit our donation page HERE.