Panda Refuge near Chengdu

well, it's not a train on rails as such, just one of those tourist trains - linked carriages driven around. There's a lot of them around the place - saw them at the Guilin night market, the tomb of the First Emperor near Xi'an, and the tourist area in Nanjing (Sun Yat-sen's mausoleum etc) among others.

Oh I get what you mean now. I think those are typically called "dian ping che" in Chinese, and the name suggests that they run on electricity.
Cheers!

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<hr>I think those are typically called "dian ping che" in Chinese, and the name suggests that they run on electricity.<hr></blockquote>
Another name for them is "golf cart" - we have a fleet of them running around our university campus to get students to the library, canteen etc!!

Wow, kereru, you must be on a big campus! It takes me five minutes to walk from my apartment to my classroom, regardless of which teaching building it is in. Oh, and that's because I seem to always teach on the third floor. It takes me two minutes to get from my apt to the front gate. Yes, I like teaching on small campuses. But it would be cool to have golf carts, too!

HOW MUCH does it cost to have a "PHOTO-op" with a panda?

i've heard that it's a bit expensive.... how much. is it a flat price, or must one bargain here too?

"here"= i'm refering to the CHENGDU PANDA RESERVE. i will be there mid-august...... no known closures? or anything at this time? is it open everyday? i will be there on a weekday, so this is probably not an issue. just checking.

thanks!

Chengdu Panda Reserve website
I've heard anything of around 1000 RMB for a photo-op.
No known closures.
Cheers!

I heard it was 300 or 500, but that was three years ago. When I was there, they weren't doing it. Maybe the babies were at the wrong age. I wasn't interested in holding a baby panda myself, but I met someone once who said it was one of the highlights of her life.