We went to the Zoo on Friday – I thought it was best to go on a weekday – and that was a great choice it was really quiet. Pablo was excited to see the pandas and giraffes. I have only started going to the zoo in the last couple of years – Pablo loves it, and just seeing the animals reminds me of the vastness of nature, its a mix of wonder and sadness. The zoo wasn’t too bad, except for everyone tends to feed the animals. The bears were actually performing and clapping their hands enticing the crowds to feed them, despite the big signs saying please don’t feed the animals. One women was teasing the monkeys – pretending to give it chips and then laughing as the monkey got distressed as he couldn’t quite grab on to the chips. The Gorillas were motioning to the crowds to chuck them food. One person chucked a plastic bag full of prawn crackers over – I sort of yelped out a an instant ‘no!’ in response. A strange meeting with nature/humans. I didn’t know if I was in a zoo or circus. Sometimes Pablo, Matt and I were getting more stares than the animals. As we sat to rest and eat our bag full of manderins, we drew long stares, and everyone stopping to look at us. People will stand just a metre of so away and stare. We have got used to it – just smile, and go about our business.
I took a lot of footage of the teasing and of the monkeys going a bit wild. With their teeth bared, and their eyes wild, they look like they had lost it in those small cages. Gosh.
We walked through the city and found ourselves walking down some market lanes – started with flowers, then street food, then vegetables and live stock. Pablo is wow! Look at all those chickens in cages. ‘Oh, wow’ he says, ‘look at the ducky’. The women grabs one out, then wraps a wrope around its neck that has a weight on it, and kills it instantily, while weighing it at the same time. Matt saw what was happening and whisked Pablo out of there. I spent many years vegetarian, and its confronting to see the death of animals so in front of your face. Atleast they use every part of it. Livers, intestines, brains, feet, snouts, eyes, all are for sale at the market.
