As a kid, going to the zoo was almost as thrilling as going to the amusement park. These visits remain amongst my fondest childhood memories. Being able to see these animals up as close as humanly possible was truly a dream come true to me.
It still is.
We are at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
I have to admit, it makes me smile when people say I look younger than my actual years. The secret: I reckon if you don’t tell yourself that you’re getting old, you never grow old. (And you never grow up either, better!) Shushhhhhhh….
So get on that carousel, go on the joyrides and never pass up the opportunity to get into a good pillow-fight.
Love, love, love: Thy neighbor, thy dogs, cats, rabbits… this is how love multiplies.
(This is also how you get bitten by a stray dog – not everyone is Cesar Millan. Lesson painfully learned – but that’s another story.)
Bats are cool!
They are fun, scary, horror-film friendly, cartoon-friendly, blind and adorable in a blood-sucking kinda way.
Love them!!
Kids are a little scared but I tell them between myself and their mother Lulu, we’ll make kababs out of them in no time if they try to bite.
You don’t mess with Middle Easterners – especially if you are kabab-ible 😉
Look at them hangin’, all cool and careless!
There are a few different types of safaris you can go on. Check them out here. We picked the African cart safari where you get to go on an open cart.
Look, kitty-cats. LOVE anything feline.
I am zooming in on most of these photos but it is still a pretty good view that we got.
I reckon it’s a pretty good time to slide in this photo taken in Dubai a few years ago – my second encounter ever with a baby feline of the wild variety. I set this play-date up as a super-secret surprize birthday gift for my bestie Samira and we all got to play. It really is one of the most precious memories I have.
My access to this beautiful baby lion was through a colleague who had a friend who was responsible for such ‘wild affairs’ (their words, not mine). I love my Dubai!
Back to San Diego and our safari tour.
Our cart ride is over. It was not too long (almost an hour) not too short and perfect for families with kids that could get tired easily.
Back on our feet we see how big an adult lion gets. I am loving this zoo with all these little details. It’s good fun for kids.
We are (always) hungry.
Our pit-stop in the restaurant has a few friendly distractions.
It’s good as the food is something I didn’t mind getting distracted from – wasn’t too tasty. Perhaps they do that so we are encouraged to feed these animals?
Tips for single ladies whose buddies are mommies
My Lulu kept telling the kids, “Don’t get too close to the duck.”
I had to bite my tongue every time to stop myself from saying it’d be fine because I actually wasn’t sure it would.
Had they gotten bitten, my beloved Lulu would probably grab the aforementioned duck and hit me on the head with it killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.
Never get in the way of a mamma trying to teach her children how to stay safe.
The shoebill was very cooperative when I told him to pose like it did for the drawing on the signboard. A little to the left, tilt your beak a little further down, a little more please… and ta-daaaaa!
Or was it just a lucky coincidence?
Another free-roaming friend at the zoo.
I hope it isn’t a herbivore as it would end up accidentally eating its own feet.
We all got to go into this and pretend we were turtles… which led to the demise of my favorite white cotton pants via black-oil stain. Boo 🙁
These are rainbow lorikeets.
They are super friendly and domesticated.
We are feeding them with special syrup that automatically endears us to them.
What’s your poison, baby??
A good friend protects you when you get the attentions of an over-enthusiastic birdie.
An excellent friend laughs her butt off and takes photos so you can all laugh about it later.
My clever Lulu didn’t get that law degree for nothing – here’s her home-made birdie repellent.
It’s been a wonderful day.
We are treated to some fake animals and real African tribal dancing.
I recommend this place completely and totally and fully.
