What I learned today
Memories are not preserved in photographs, but in the heart and mind.
I’m on my last day of what Marilou calls “Chet’s Excellent Adventure”. I’ve spent 11 days helping out at the Bifengxia Panda Base, followed by two full days of Olympic panda watching at the Beijing Zoo.
I’ve taken nearly 600 pictures and at least 10 videos on my humble Nikon CoolPix 5900. Maybe not as much as I should but then, all I have in it is a 2GB memory card.
And then, on this very last day of my excellent adventure, I miss the two most important photography moments of the whole trip. Especially for the second one, in perfect hindsight, I realised I should’ve shot on video since the place was too dark and flash was not allowed.
It was then I realised that even without the photographs, I still have those moments etched in my heart and my mind. And I can still share them not in pictures but in words.
The first “missed” moment
Keeper Liu Juen was out in the public display with a pan of panda wowotou (bread) for 7 of the 8 Olympic pandas. I was not aware she had gone out with it, since the pandas were all asleep the last time I looked in on them (from the window of the keepers’ control room). So when I heard her voice, I went to look out the window, just in time to see her lead the pack of hungry pandas, trip, fall and get swarmed by the 7 black and white furry cuties. By the time she surfaced, the pan was empty. Usually, she would lead them on a merry jog before rewarding them with the wowotou, but today, they got their treats without having to do anything much.
The second “missed” moment
I’d asked to be allowed to watch the pandas come in after a day of public display. So at 6:00 p.m., Liu Juen said “we’re bringing in the pandas” and beckoned me to join them downstairs.
Three of the pandas were already in.
Duo Duo was in an enclosure of her own, and remained there even after the others had come in. She’d not been eating her bamboo and the keepers had kept her out of public display so that she could concentrate on some serious eating.
Feng Yi and Huan Huan were together in a second enclosure, where they’d undergone some training earlier this afternoon. The door to their enclosure was opened and they were led out to go into the big common enclosure. OMG, I was in the same space with two giant pandas and without any bars between us! One of them, sensing a strange presence (me), turned left towards me instead of right towards the big common enclosure, but was immediately blocked by Liu Juen and redirected in the right direction.
Then the hollering began. Now, the three keepers are all from Sichuan, and like people from Sichuan, they are LOUD! Even in normal conversation, they sound like they’re having a serious argument. So their lungs are in excellent condition for hollering for the other 5 bears to come back in. Four came in almost on cue, but the fifth, Tao Tao, lagged behind but finally showed up. The door behind him slid shut for the day.
In a moment, all 7 were lined up squatting in front of the divider bars. I’d had problems shooting without flash - I was told no flash because it would affect their eyes - so I decided not to take any photographs but just enjoy the moment.
Down the corridor, I saw keeper Gao Qiang approaching with a metal container. It was full of wowotou. As soon as the pandas saw him, their line broke as they stood up and jostled to get the wowotou. At one end, Chui Chui did not join in the “fight” - clever girl, as she knew the wowotou would come to her without her having to fight for it.
Soon, there was no more jostling as each panda settled back to munch on their piece of wowotou.
Looking back, I regretted not taking any pictures, and forgetting that I can take videos instead. I tried to console myself that even if I had video’d the moment, it would’ve come out too grainy. Then I realised a far more perfect recording machine than a digital camera - my heart and my mind. I may not have physical evidence of this precious moment, and my heart and mind may not have the capability to print out a hard copy, but the moment has been “recorded” and saved for playback anytime I wish.
