Mental Meanderings

A Day at the Zoo

*coughs and splutters* Ok, so the day-trip to the zoo yesterday was a bad idea on the health front. I'm not as over the flu as I'd like to be and the hours in transit accompanied by lots of wind, sunshine and junkfood has done me in. I'll return to bed shortly but I really better sneak this blog in before noon because I've been slacking off for weeks now.

Despite feeling awful again now we all really enjoyed the day out. A trip to the zoo is an ordeal for us because without a car the trip that would take thirty minutes down the freeway takes two and a half hours. The first hour is the walk from home to the train station. It's a walk we do regularly enough because the train station is right near the major shopping center in town. We left early and enjoyed a MacDonald's breakfast before getting on the train.

The kids love the train. The world rushes by and we glide across it in smooth tracks. People watching and world watching is so much fun on the train. There are so many characters to spark a writers interest. Part of the reason I like not having a car is because it forces us to slow down and see other people. Walking, trains, buses, etc. are all opportunities to see others. From the suited up power-woman with her tidy breifcase and runnerless stockings to the chain and peircing gang-kid in black with a thick wedge of eyeliner.

The walk through the city is short, mostly downhill, and splattered with traffic-light crossings. Humans all moving in hurried agitation toward their individual goals. I'm always amazed at the difference in spirit between city-folk and town-folk. Everyone seems to speed up and wear blinders in the city. They just notice or care less about each other.

In my home town if a woman is laden down with a pram, toddler in one arm, shopping in the other people will stop to help. They open doors for each other and hold the elevator. In the city no one seems to see anyone other than themselves. Too intensely involved in their own lives and their own concerns. It's not that acknowledging others is dangerous, crime isn't really an issue. So I can't understand why persona's completely alter along with the density of population.

We all shuffle onto the ferry where my kids sit, noses against the glass, on the hunt for jellyfish. The jaunt across the Swan is brief. Chopping waves slap against the fiberglass. The ferryman spins the boat to clank against the rubber siding on the dock. The heavy handed tactics have left their marks on the wooden pilings and make me wonder how often the paint job has to be touched up on the side of the boat.

The zoo was busy. School holidays always bring an influx of locals when the rest of the year the gates are filled with tourists. Perth Zoo is a beautiful place and there just isn't enough time to enjoy it fully. Having spent two and half hours just to get there it's already getting on to noon before we even make it through the gates and we have to leave in a few hours to make it home again before dark. Someday I'd like to get to the zoo as they open and leave when they close.

This year we didn't even have a chance to see everything. Most years we have more luck getting around the zoo. With exhibits surrounded it took more time to be able to see each of the animals but baby boy really loved it. It's amazing to reflect over the past year. His third birthday was on Monday but at the zoo I was remember the difference between him this year and last. This zoo trip is one we make every year since my daughter was born (7 years now) so baby boy has been 4 times now.

This year he was eagerly seeking out each of the animals. I followed him around delighting at the regular intervals of "There, there". He's talking, kinda. *smiles* This year the hit with him seems to be the giant tortoise. They even got to sit on a plaster one. I have a photograph of it.

Speaking of photographs, I got some really fantastic shots of Koalas. It's often hard to get a good shot because they're hidden away, sleeping in the leaves of the Eucalypts. This year we came on them just as free food was going up so they were awake and moving around. Plus I got to perve on the cute zookeepers. I should have got pictures of them too.

The meerkat population seemed to be sparse this year. Meerkats are my favorite so I was saddened to see so few in the enclosures. It didn't help that the crowds prevented us spending too much time watching their antics. They scamper about and move too fast to get some really good shots of with the camera.

We got to walk through the lemur exhibit this year but they no longer let visitors pet the lemurs. That's not fair. I wanted to pet a lemur and let the kids feel their soft fur. With their love of Madagascar it was wonderful to watch their excitement about being so close to the movies star residents.

Still, I was glad to finally get home. We were utterly exhausted. Even without my flu showing it's displeasure I'd have to rest today. My osteo rears when I do so much. Particularly in my hips at the moment. Surprisingly my knees are doing alright but my wrists are tender too.

So, that's the zoo for this year. I'm going to have access to a car in a few weeks so we'll be going up to AQWA (Aquariam of Western Australia) AQWA is too far away to manage with public transport. It'll take a while to get there by car as it is but I'm looking forward to going. Hopefully the flu will be well and truly obliterated by then.

Assuming I get rest that is. So now, back to bed for me. Guess I'll have to figure out something to blog about tonight.