Pipoca and Pinwheels

15 June 2009 (First zoo visit 13 June 2009)

Red dirt doesn’t seem as dirty but I think because it seems a little more pretty.  Regardless, it is everywhere.  I should mention that it is the dry season here, which means it rarely rains, and that by August the humidity will get down to 15% (think Sahara) and it gets dusty.  That fine, rust colored dirt follows you and sticks to you- especially on feet and in ears!  So when we found the zoo today- because that seems to be something we do no matter where we go- we had our first experience with the ‘everywhere dirt’.  The camels and llamas were rust colored and the elephants were dusting themselves rust as we watched.  At a playground, there was a hard mound of dirt that stood about a foot high.  There were holes throughout it, maybe for snakes or ants or something else good at tunneling.  Teague squatted down and held the mound with both hands and spoke into one of the holes: “hello down there!” He came up with a red ring around his mouth and feeling something there he took his (now rust colored) hands and wiped his whole face ‘clean’.  It was too much, certainly a camera moment (that of course, we didn’t have)!  For now the image is securely saved in my mental hard drive!  He remained with rusty face while we visited a few more animals and walked back to the car.  He fell asleep in his car seat with his dusty face.  Oh- and how was the zoo?  Other than my aversion to caged birds (by the dozens!!) and in addition to the creatures mentioned above there were chimpanzees, hippos, jaguars, tigers (sleeping in hammocks) lions, giraffes and monkeys.  Oh yes, Fiona’s flowery dress guaranteed that there was always a honeybee within 3 feet of her during the whole visit.   On the way out of the zoo there were (wild) monkeys hanging from the trees too!  We didn’t see the entire zoo, one could spend the whole day there.  

Being in the dry season also means that weather is a non-issue here.  No concern of wearing/packing layers, just sunhats.  NO umbrellas, raincoats needed.  Each morning I go for a walk in a t-shirt and workout pants- wore a sweatshirt once and sweated the whole time!  That sweatshirt morning I passed a young girl walking to school with her father and she was wearing a hat and scarf- I think it was 60 degrees out.  brrrrrrr.  (July 7th Update: I used the word chilly in all seriousness last night! Chris called me on it and we both laughed.)

Pinwheels and Pipoca- June 19th

How did I leave out the fact that the two things sold at the Zoo are popcorn and pinwheels!?!  It is so random and so organic that it can’t be left untold.  After our second trip to the Zoo with friends, I’d realized that I’d left out that interesting fact about our new zoo.  Their son calls the bunches of pinwheels butterfly gardens.