Today, owing to the fortuitous combination of not having any classes, work first thing in the morning, and a desire to GET OUT OF HERE, I went to the zoo in Albuquerque.
I took the new-ish train there, because Santa Fe residents ride free until the end of this month, and also I don't have a car. Really all you need to know about it is that when the doors on the Rail Runner are about to close, the audio warning is "meepmeep." Like a road runner. Which is just a tiny thing that is overflowing with joy.
Albuquerque seems so strange to me. On the one hand, it has the feel of a City with a big university and tall buildings and, you know, connections to the rest of the world through a variety of transportation options. On the other hand, everything is fauxdobe-colored and there are big wide streets and separate houses, and it kind of [i]feels[/i] like it wants to be a sleepy western town. I walked from the train station to the zoo - it's only about ten blocks or so - and didn't venture into the older part of the city - but it still doesn't feel like a proper city to me.
The zoo itself was fun, and practically empty. The only other zoo I've been to since I was about four years old is the National Zoo in DC, which sets the bar kind of high, so this was tiny by comparison. I kind of worried a bit about the polar bears; they didn't look terribly pleased, and one of them had a barrel stuck on it's head. I guess they give them big empty plastic barrels to play with, and this guy had flattened one out completely and was playing around with it. Then he stuck his head in it and seemed to be displeased with that turn of events. (He seemed fine in the long run).
They get bonus points for having capybaras there, because capybaras are [i]awesome[/i]. (It's a guinea pig. A four-foot-tall, hundred-and-some-pound guinea pig.) Also, lions, tigers, kangaroos, elephants, parrots, etc. The only thing that struck me as somewhat remarkable was the raptors; they have two bald eagles, which is neat.
It seemed really kid-friendly, and it's small, so I imagine that if I were fifteen years younger or so it would be probably the coolest place in New Mexico. As it is, it was fun, and I got to see polar bears and capybaras, so that's a win. A little bit pricey for the size, but I was more upset at paying five bucks for a box of lettuce for lunch.
Photos may or may not be posted when I get around to pulling them off my phone, but I don't feel like futzing around with that right now.
Also, entirely unsurprisingly, I got sunburned on my face. It wasn't even very sunny today. Curse you, New Mexico!
Labels: animals, new mexico, Travel
