SCOTLAND - Day 11

Day 11 (24/11/06) – Friday:
- After having breakfast, went to Edinburgh Zoo with Yasmin. Something that I was really looking forward to. A zoo freak! Took 2 buses to get there. We were so lucky that the weather that morning was fantastic; bright sunny morning; contrary to the weather report for that day.

Yasmin and I

- The itinerary for the day was as follows:
9.30 a.m. Early birds hilltop tour (Meet at the safari bus by the sealions)
11.00 a.m. Sea lion talk
11.30 a.m. Chimpanzee talk
12.00 noon Rhino talk
12.45 p.m. Penguin parade (followed by penguin talk)
2.15 p.m. Lion talk
3.00 p.m. Snake talk
3.30 p.m. Steller’s Sea Eagle talk
3.45 p.m. Painted hunting dogs and aviary talk
In addition:1.45 & 2.30 p.m.-Animal handling in close encounters (first-come-first-served basis)

- Went for a ride in the safari bus around the zoo. It was absolutely splendid.
- Walked around the zoo, marveling at each and every animal.

What a beauty!

Painted hunting dogs

A beautiful sunny morning! Perfect for a day out in the zoo!

- We had to walk around for quite a while; in search of the chimpanzee enclosure. It was a little confusing since the chimps were temporarily transferred to a new location while building work progresses on their new home – opening in 2008. Poor Yasmin, had to walk so far just because I insisted on seeing the chimps.

Chimps! My favorite primate!

- Only managed to catch the penguin parade show; we missed all the other talks since we were so busy walking around looking at the animals.
- The penguin parade was absolutely amazing. They just took a slow walk while looking curiously at the bystanders; darn cute!

Cutie pies!

Penguin runway (I think they deserved a red carpet!)

- After that, we listened to the penguin talk by one of the keepers. Very informational; especially the way to handle the penguins.
- Then, they had a penguin feeding session. They are all very well-behaved cuties.
- We had lunch at a nearby café.After lunch, we headed off towards the Education Centre for the Close Encounter session. We really enjoyed the session, where we had the chance to have a close look at all the exotic animals like the hamsters, snakes, frogs, Madagascar hissing roach, and snails. It was a different experience touching and holding these exotic animals. Fun!

Ooh, so cold and slithery. It was cool!

- After that, we headed off in search of the King of the Jungle; took some time to find them. The Asiatic Lion enclosure is amazing; there were few lion cubs playing with their mum; very endearing. We decided to go back after that. It was almost 4.
- By the time we reached the hotel, it was almost 5.30. Had a fantastic time at the zoo.
- I related the experience in the zoo with full elation to Alfred.
- Had dinner at an Italian restaurant – not satisfied with the service and the ambience. But we had a good time.
- Of course the day is not complete without a dessert; sweet tooth! So we went to Sainsbury’s to get some ice cream but unfortunately it was closed by that time. So, went to Esso and bought Magnum.
- Devoured the ice cream with content.
- Dozed off.