So we woke up from a glorious night of slumber in the van and head into Mike’s house to be greeted by the irresistible sent of breakfast on the stove. Chef Mike whipped up some pancakes, breakfast potatoes, and soy chorizo.. DEE-LISH! After we scarfed that down, we said goodbye to Mike, his lovely home, and our parking spot outside his house… This guy did a fantastic job of showing us around, and he was beyond hospitable. We were sad to leave.
So onto the next… The world renowned San Diego Zoo. We got there nice and early to make sure we had plenty of time to explore this vast world of caged wildlife. I’ll spare you the dirty deets of every animal we looked at. I’ll just talk about the stuff that sticks out in my mind. One of the first things we saw was a cheetah and a dog in the same holding area!! Apparently, according to the sign, they’re best buds! So adorable. See? Ricky Saetta is the only THING on the planet that doesn’t like dogs. Even CHEETAHS love dogs!!! They’re just such loving creatures!
The elephants were pretty cool for a couple of reasons: first, they had about 5 or 6 of them. And secondly, they had an elephant care center as part of the elephant tour. This is the spot where the elephants get washed and get their nails did, etc. Here, we met Cookie.. She’s an adult female with a hurt toe. So we stood around and watched as she diligently followed the commands given to her by the veterinarian. Elephants seem more well behaved than children. Cookie did as she was asked, the first time she was asked to do it. It was fun watching the vet and the elephant interact. It made me regret my decision to work with human beings. Really, what was I thinking?? I like animals SO much better!
The turtles are another exhibit that stands out to me. They have like 4 or 5 of those really ginormous 100+ year old turtles. They’re very intriguing animals. I could have sat and watched them for an hour. They’re just so big!! And they have shells on their back!!!! And their skin looks so WEIRD. And it looks like every step they take is a struggle. Best of all, the turtles would come over to the railing and stick their necks up and you were allowed to scratch their weird, tough, slightly scaly skin. Ricky was too scared, but I totally pet them.
The pandas, obviously, are another thing worth mentioning and probably one of the reasons that San Diego zoo is so famous. We learned that the pandas are actually on a 17 year loan from China, and we’re currently in year 15 of that loan period. They won’t be there forever folks, so get a peak while you can! They’re very cool looking animals.. they just chill out, sit and eat bamboo. There are other bears in the zoo that were fun… the polar bears were fun to see. The male bear is so overwhelmingly big!! But I just get so sad anytime I’m forced to face the fact that their habitat is diminishing so rapidly. The koalas are also really fun to see… They look so snuggly!!!! I just wanted to jump over the fence and squeeze the crap out of them!
All in all, the San Diego Zoo didn’t quite live up to the hype. I’ve been here once before, almost 6 years ago, so I knew it wasn’t the most amazing place ever. But Ricky had high expectations and felt a little let down. Ricky thinks the Bronx Zoo tops San Diego, but I can’t agree to that with complete confidence because I don’t really remember the Bronx Zoo. HOWEVER, even though they had way less animals, I think I was more interested at the Omaha Zoo.. This is why: They have awesome themed indoor exhibits, such as the swamp and the rainforest, which the San Diego Zoo completely lacks. You’re also way closer to the animals.. It was a much more interactive experience (although, I do realize this is at the expense of the animals. They’re in way smaller spaces). Another point goes to Omaha because of their betting zoo. Adorable baby kid goats!!! In San Diego they only have a few boring adult goats. Lame!
We had a lot of fun exploring the zoo today, but I think I realized something… I don’t really like zoos. For one, they’re a huge tease. I mean, who wants to stand around LOOKING at animals. I just want to jump in there and play with all of them!! I want to squeeze them and pet them and wrestle with them and play fetch. With all them, the ugly warthogs, the scary lions and jaguars, the smelly things that I don’t even know what they’re called. The only things I don’t want to play with are the insects and the naked mole rats. YUCK. The second reason that I don’t like zoos is because they’re really sad. Animals aren’t meant to be in cages, and some of them just look so depressed. It makes me want to cry.
With a belly full of ice cream, we left the Zoo and drove towards L.A. to gear up for Universal Tomorrow. Day 100 has come and gone… can you believe it??!!! Only like 20 more days of this shit and it’s done. I have mixed feelings about it.. On one hand, I’m really ready to get a job, start making money, and have an apt, start building a life etc etc etc. And on the other hand, I wish this could last forever. It’s kind of heart breaking that it’s coming to a close.. All I know is, I’m gonna be eating my way through these next 20 days because once I’m in San Fran for good I’m gonna be on the healthy wagon. Disgustingly delicious food and treats galore, I will miss you .
Stay Classy, San Diego!
Thw worlds weirdest zoo pic
-Jillian
Next Stop: Universal Studios