Current mood:	tired
Entry tags:	travel

SD zoo
I'd heard that the San Diego zoo was one of the world's best so, since I'm in town for the Virtual Execution Environments conference, I decided to check it out after checking into my hotel the day before the conference begins. San Diego doesn't appear to take public transit seriously but at least it's quite bike friendly. Lacking a bike, however, I ended up cabbing to the zoo. After presenting my Canadian ID when requested at the ticketing booth, the agent informed me that I could take advantage of the 25% discount they were currently offering Canadians!

Wandering around the zoo, I was left with the distinct impression that many of the animals there were endangered. Either this zoo makes a great effort to house endangered specimens or us humans are ravaging the planet of many a majestic beast in our endless quest for more babies. My inner cynic is rolling his eyes at my inner optimist.

The hippopotamii were playing in a large tank of water. One side of the tank was composed of glass so we could watch them frolicking underwater. I'd never seen anything quite like it before: the sight of a 7000 lb animal skipping around like a ballerina was worth the price of admission on its own. Although hippopotamii can be quite ferocious in the wild, the one I was watching seemed almost playful, blowing bubbles out of its nose as us.

I was pleased to observe that the elephants, whose emotional makeup is no less fragile than ours, had all sorts of intriguing toys with which to tinker. One of them was engrossed in a large holow metal polyhedron with a small hole on the surface. After watching her in bewilderment for a little while, I saw her fish a carrot out of the hole with the tip of her trunk and eat it, thereby cluing me in.