On The Write Path

Taipei Zoo

How to adequately express my trip to the Taipei Zoo?

I went with my friend Allen. We took the MRT to the last stop on a threatening-to-rain 8th of February. They may have bred pigs back to the original inhabitants of Taiwan, but the people are still a delightful mix. But so many visitors 4 days into the New Year of the Pig!

We walked down paths of orchids hanging from trees, past waterlilies and flamingos, ignored by camels and llamas. I took a picture of Allen as a llama. I have lots of flattering photos of him; but, that isn't one of them!

Some of the animals are shy. Some hard to see. Others weren't out. The meercats were sleeping and my photo of a panda... well, at a distance and not my best, but at least a gibbon was just hanging out.

People can say what they want about zoos; but, elephants, rhinos and hippos are not found in Taiwan and if it weren't for the zoo they may be thought or as mere myths. In person... they are huge! They had a pygmy hippo... that did not prepare me for the full-size brutes. One snap of their jaw and your family can bury you in two pieces! And rhinos... they're built like tanks. The Taiwanese are blessed to see these animals while they go extinct in the wild. It raises conscientiousness.

Taiwanese have a sense of humor, by-the-way, the restrooms are labeled as the "Zoo Poo Poo".

Birds are kept in pens, cages or roam free in the aviary. We saw hornbill, cassowary, a scarlet ibis, cranes and glorious pigeons. Some birds were nesting.

After turtles and tigers, giraffes and baboons we were ready to head out. It was closing time. We'd been there 6 hours and I'd taken over 600 photos. And we hadn't see it all...

We looked up at the gondolas going up the mountain... decided that would have to wait for another day.

Peace, Kåre.

My incomplete facebook album can be accessed here: https://www.facebook.com/kare.enga.9/media_set?set=a.2371405706227373&type=3

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