On Sunday we took our first adventure on our own. With the help of a neighbor, a young person on the street, another one on the bus and an elderly person, we successfully took the city bus to the zoo. It is so close to our apartment, we walked back rather than trying to figure out which bus to take and which stop to get off.
The bus: On a Sunday morning around 11 AM, it was still standing room on the bus. The cost of the bus is 2 yuan (27 cents USD) each. Marsha liked the low hanging straps. I thought they were a little low. It is unusual being one of the taller people. Marsha is about average height. The bus is clean, modern and air conditioned.
The Zoo: The entrance is a bit hidden from the street. After going down an alley, thru a group of merchants, you reach the ticket seller. The cost is 20 yuan a person, more than the cost of lunch. On a warm and dry day the zoo had a nice crowd. As in the States most of the adults had small children with them. The second largest group was young couples. We did not see any other whites in the zoo.
Near the entrance are a group of fun statues and a garden.
Marsha particularly liked the life size Gia Pet (above).
Marsha particularly liked the life size Gia Pet (above).
More fun than the animals is watching the children. They have a gold fish pond where the kids use nets to catch goldfish. Then they take them home in plastic bags.T
hen there is an area where you can get your picture taken feeding the monkeys.
hen there is an area where you can get your picture taken feeding the monkeys. And finally an area to get your picture taken with the animals.
We turned down the snake and the monkeys. This was more our speed.Lunch: Half way through the zoo, we stopped for lunch in an airconditioned restaurant. 
Obviously the most expensive place to eat in the zoo. No English menus, no English speaking staff and a very limited menu with no pictures. What to do? The next table had 7-8 different dishes on it for a three generation family. I got up pointed at an egg dish. The middle generation at the table knew some English. He helped us tell the waiter we wanted one egg dish with two bowls of rice. As happened to us in France, when he did not like the waiter's service, he told him to bring our rice right after the eggs. Also some kids around 8-9 walked over to our table to practice their English. Overall, a fun experience. The last picture is one piece of leftover real egg foo young with flower on cucumber.
Obviously the most expensive place to eat in the zoo. No English menus, no English speaking staff and a very limited menu with no pictures. What to do? The next table had 7-8 different dishes on it for a three generation family. I got up pointed at an egg dish. The middle generation at the table knew some English. He helped us tell the waiter we wanted one egg dish with two bowls of rice. As happened to us in France, when he did not like the waiter's service, he told him to bring our rice right after the eggs. Also some kids around 8-9 walked over to our table to practice their English. Overall, a fun experience. The last picture is one piece of leftover real egg foo young with flower on cucumber. 
2 comments:
Great mix of text and photos. I especially like things like Topiary and decorated food and of course your photos are such a pleasure to view.
The students look so young. I guess age comparisons are always a challenge cross culturally. I wonder if you'll ever know ages outside the classroom and will find people your own age. Perhaps they'll be out in the park doing Tai Chi ?
People do Tai Chi everywhere. Sometimes in groups and sometimes alone. So far I have only joined one old man, I was on my balcony. I don't think he saw me.
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