Zoo Trip
On Sunday I ventured off to our local zoo. One of the CDC teachers, Ms. Thara, had heard me mentioned that I wanted to visit the zoo. Since she lives near the zoo she volunteered to have her husband come pick me up after mass and visit her house in addition to the zoo. After having breakfast at Ms. Thara’s house (granola and tea) we walked to the nearby zoo. I am so thankful for schedules with pictures, and my ability to put two and two together, because otherwise I would have never been able to figure out what activities they were offering that day, or even where the various animals were housed!
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| Zoo Schedule |
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| Elephant |
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| Monkeys! |
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| Curious little guys! |
There was an observation tower with some great views of Sasebo and the 99 islands.
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| Observation Tower |
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| 99 Islands |
Then I went and saw several more of the animals and I even got to pet a few, including a giant tortoise.
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| Mole Room Warning |
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| GOAT! |
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| Me in the Zoo |
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| A sad looking tortoise (not the one I petted) |
With the weather looking not-so-nice, I ventured into the green house to see the Botanical Gardens side of the “Ishidake Zoo and Botanical Gardens.” I love taking photos of flowers (as evidenced by my numerous FB photos of beautiful fauna and flora), so I was able to pass some time out of the wind and rain.
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| Purple! |
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| Fern |
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| I just thought the coloring was cool |
After the greenhouse I saw some monkeys and penguins and bears, oh my!
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| Camel! |
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| Swimming! |
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| Do they not feed the animals here? |
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| Monkey Island! |
The whole reason I had chosen to visit the zoo today was because Eriko-san had shared with us that people who visited today could feed the elephant and giraffe. Well, I was too late for the elephant feeding (and it looked like it might have been canceled based on what I “read”) and I found out that the giraffe had recently died (like that week) so feeding him was no longer an option. Oh the best laid plans of mice and men. At least I got to feed some goats.
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| Empty Giraffe Cage |
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| Hungry Goats |
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| He wanted to feed the goats too... |
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| Feeding the goats myself! |
While I was watching the elephant “show” – aka one trick – the deluge began, but thankfully it was short lived. I was able to get some shots of the outdoor flowers after the rain though, so that was fun. Maybe I’ll make another trip out to the zoo before I leave, when there are more flowers to view!
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| The "Elephant Show" |
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| Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Answer Do... |
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| I love close-ups... |
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| This is probably my personal favorite... |
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| The entrance to the Ishidake Zoo and Botanical Gardens |
After the zoo I walked back to Ms. Thara’s house where I ate a lovely curry late lunch with her and her daughter, Lanka, because her husband and son where out running errands. Ms. Thara is from Sri Lanka and she cooked some amazing food just like she would at home, even if she did have to make a mild version of the curry for me.
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| Blurry shot of my food...so yummy! |
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| Me & Lanka |
Their house overlooks the mountains and you can see the 99 Island boat out there giving tours, so I got some shots of the view. They also have a digital SLR camera that they did not know how to operate. It had been given to them with a damaged lens but they had bought a new one and still were not sure how to operate the camera. I enjoyed playing with the camera, but it is heavier than my Pentax and just not “mine.”
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The view with lots of power lines
(reminds me of a Co-op Camp Discussion, lol) |
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| Their camera I got to play with... |
When Mr. Shelton came home Mrs. Thara showed me how to make coconut naan although I HIGHLY doubt that I could replicate it. After one last cup of yummy tea they took me home, via the shipyards, and I barely had the energy to go to the gym after the long day!
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| My special treat... |
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| The boatyards. |
Oh, and after witnessing all the cooking and baking that was going on, here’s my 1st attempt at a king cake. (Really just cinnamon rolls in a circle) I’m really going to miss not being home for Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday…
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| My 1st King Cake attempt. |
