Have I mentioned how much I love zoos? Mika told me about a nice zoo just north of Pattaya that she had visited with her family. So the last time Tim headed off to India, we made plans to go. In addition to seeing the animals, I was excited by the fact that I would get to drive. Driving a golf cart is better than nothing! This zoo is so spread out that they have golf carts available for visitors to rent. Mika doesn't drive, so I happily agreed to do the driving, with Mika and Momo as my passengers.
The place is the Khao Kheow Open Zoo. Located at the base of Khao Kheow Mountain, it has grown over the years to 2000 acres, making it the largest zoo area in the world. The surroundings are lush, green hills with lots of trees, a beautiful place to spend the day. We said goodbye to Mick and bought our tickets, then walked over to the golf cart rental. The carts were a bit pricey (it came out to about ten dollars per hour), but definitely worth it.
 |
| Thank-you for the pictures, Mika! |
I was glad Mika had been before, because the signage wasn't great, but we did find our way to the entrance. Our first stop was to see the deer, who were not in an enclosure of any kind, but just hanging out in their little area. Mika bought some greens for feeding, and the three of us enjoyed communing with our four-legged cousins. I was holding the bunch of greens in one arm, like a bouquet, and felt the tugging of a deer who decided not to wait for a hand out. They clearly know how this works, and were quite comfortable accepting food from our outstretched hands.
Back on board, we drove next to the Old World primates, seeing some species of monkey I'd never seen in any other zoo. Some were tiny, with cute little hands and faces, others were the monkey-equivalent of a bulldog - very stocky.
Next up was the giraffe exhibit. The giraffe enclosure brought visitors to nearly eye level with the giraffes, the closest I had ever been. They are beautiful, magnificent creatures. Food booths at nearly every stop provided animal food for purchase. As Mika was buying food to feed the giraffes, a huge class of school children was released onto the scene, and quickly swallowed up poor Momo's chances to get up close with the giraffes. We did manage some feeding, and the giraffes were skilled at wrapping their long, long tongues around the plants. I was impressed at how composed they were with so many busy children in front of them.
The lion enclosure was just across from the giraffes, and I remarked to Mika how white the lion looked. "Yes," she smiled, "because they are white lions." Doh. This particular lion was so perfectly majestic that it hardly looked real. I would have thought it was fake if I hadn't seen it moving around with my own eyes. Incredibly beautiful. No feeding at this stop!
After the lions, we managed to put some distance between us and the hordes of school children, feeding some of our leftovers to the ostriches who lingered near the fence of their enclosure. The flamingos across the way were such a lovely, gentle shade of pink - they seem quite elegant in their pink finery.
Just around the bend was the most memorable feeding experience with the rhinos. Firstly, I'd never, ever been so close to these less-than-attractive behemoths. And to actually feed them was an experience I won't soon forget. Their mouths and noses are yucky, slimy orifices, and when they see food coming they open their slimy pinkish-gray mouths and hold them open for visitors to put the food in. No teeth were visible, and it reminded me of something from a sci-fi movie. Momo was adorably unafraid and said the rhinos were her friends. The juxtaposition of ugly and adorable was amusing, to say the least!
We stopped at a vendor for some ice cream. I got a frozen ice tea, and Momo was curious about it, asking in perfect English, "Is it yummy?" I let her have a taste, but I don't think she was too impressed.
Next stop was the elephants, who were equally eager to accept donations from the visitors. Only one elephant was big enough to reach his trunk all the way to Momo's little hand, and he was happy to take advantage. We adults could lean over the rail to give equal time to the smaller elephants. As enjoyable as it was to feed these creatures, one has to wonder about the safety of the animals. Anyone with ill intentions could easily feed them something that could make them sick. Another example of Thailands lax regulations in stark contrast to the over-regulated United States.
We saw pygmy hippos, some very noisy sea otters that sounded like squeaky toys, some more monkeys, and a magnificent water buffalo with a shiny, leathery black coat and a prehistoric ridged backbone. We even saw several macaque monkeys roaming freely along the roads. I was amused by the inclusion of raccoon in one exhibit; you can see these on the deck of our house in Michigan!
The orangutan exhibit was up a steep hill, accessible only on foot. At the top of the hill was a large, open enclosure behind a barrier and a moat, with several orangutans hanging out. When we walked up, the worker there stood and said something toward the top of the tree next to where we were standing, on the visitors side of the barrier. A young orangutan casually made its way down from the branches of the tree and sat directly in front of us! This orangutan will pose for a picture with visitors for a small fee, but I refrained. Another couple was feeding bananas to the orangutans, and it was amazing to watch the interaction. I understand human interaction with wild animals is no longer PC, but it was fascinating. The orangutan would hold out his paw for a banana, eat the insides, and hand back a nearly intact peel. What skill!
On the other side of the same hill was the chimpanzee exhibit. The chimps were less active, but it was interesting to watch one using a stick as a tool to scratch various body parts. A huge lizard lurked at one end of the exhibit, but the chimps didn't pay it any mind.
Our last stop was the tiger exhibit. Many of the tigers were gone from their cages, participating in a show in the pavilion. The tiger enclosure was pretty small, relative to most of the other enclosures. The tigers that were present paced back and forth restlessly. Good time to make our exit.
We unhappily returned the golf cart, and Mika bought us copies of the picture they took of us at the outset. This time we did find our way to J Park, a Japanese-themed mall about half way between the zoo and Pattaya. We had lunch at a Japanese restaurant, stopped in the Japanese market so Mika could pick up a few things, and made our way back home, my zoo hunger satisfied for a little while.
When I arrived home, I had a man in my cupboard and a refrigerator in my living room...
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for reading!