posted on Nov, 15 2021 @ 05:37 AM
A panda saved my life once...
Don't know whether it was a fine, or cruel fate, that brought-about my encounter with Blink-Blink.
You see : it had been raining for days, as was evidenced by the apparent raging creeks and streams, we observed through the wonderful windows of the
Bamboo-Express, as we slowly wound our way off over the plains, up through and over the steppes, and were creeping towards the base of the
mountain-climb.
The train came to a rather abrupt halt, as we looked-out into the now dark fields of the deep rural Bing-Bang-Badang region of the bamboo forests of
China.
There was an announcement over the PA system of the train shortly, which my travelling companion translated to me as an explanation that the track was
completely blocked by multiple landslides, and even a bridge dangerously close to being washed-out.
The train was to wind slowly back to the last station, only about 8 km away.
The ride was slow, and almost hypnotically rhythmic, as we wondered what our options were.
It wasn't 5 minutes that some fellow came-in to our wagon, and seemed to make some sort of announcement.
He didn't look like a conductor.
My travel companion told me that there may be a quick opportunity, for an alternative way into the Bamboo-Forest-Reserve-Area, but there was only one
place left, and the price was steep.
There we were, an unlikely crew consisting of moi, China's most sultry movie-star : Boink-Boink, who was heading into the Bamboo-Forest to visit her
dear ailing grandmother, two veterinarians with the Ministry of Pandas, and Blink-Blink.
We sat in the cramped back of an odd twin-prop, on side benches with no seatbelts.
The swirling winds brought our first take-off attempt to a jerky halt.
Boink-Boink had started a rather low, but definitely audible whimpering.
As the pilot brought the plane back along the runway, there was a very long pause at the wind-flag.
It was quite obvious that he was a seasoned bush-pilot, but was now appearing to not be sure about which direction would be best for the next takeoff
attempt.
It seemed as if the more, and longer that the pilot stared at the rapidly whipping-around wind-flag, searching for some sort of pattern, like a
gambler ready to make a large desperate bet : the louder became the whimpering of Blink-Blink.
As the plane was now at a total standstill, as the pilot gazed at the wind-flag, as the whimpering increased : my focus was becoming rather intense on
this vibe of impending danger.
With the beginning tinges of panic, my eyes raised, and somehow unexplainably synchronistically slid-up sideways to meet the eyes of Boink-Boink.
Our souls locked in that instant, with multiple levels of deep connection.
We hadn't noticed that the pilot had bought the plane back to the same starting side of the runway, as was now in position for another attempt at
takeoff.
Our swelling emotions told us both that it was all wrong, and we should not go-up into the turbulent weather at-all, at-all.
Even any kind of bumps would have us bouncing around like pinballs.
The pilot was obviously intent on earning his biggest payday of the year, and seemed resolute to head into the heavy weather, and cloud-cover that was
below the mountain-tops.
As the connection with Boink-Boink was resonating, as the whimpering of Blink-Blink turned to a howl, as the vets tried to sooth her, we attempted
simultaneously to alert the pilot that we wanted out, and did not want to attempt this flight.
But our voices were now drowned-out, as the pilot had decided the best approach was to totally gun the engines to maximum power, and to attempt an
all-out, all-or-nothing takeoff attempt.
He couldn't hear us as we cried louder to stop, the engines screamed as the pilot stared at the wind-flag, looking for some sort of pattern worth
gambling on.
Even as we stood still, the swirling gusts of wind shook the plane uncomfortably.
The plane jerked forward at an extreme force to the body, and
Aww it's a long story.
Forget it.