After a long summer of what seemed like one homework assignment and project-worth-30%-of-your-grade after another, I went back to LA for two solid weeks of lazing, getting fat (Thanks Mom and Dad, for feeding me so well!), and visiting with old friends I hadn't seen in quite some time (Kevin, you are so awesome.), here I am back in San Diego, with a stark realization:
School starts tomorrow. Oh yes. Time to jump back into the cycle. But what to do with my very last day of summer vacation?
After a disappointing interview on Tuesday with the Charter School of San Diego, Nikki, who was visiting for a few days, and I packed a lunch and made our way over to the San Diego Zoo. For those of you who are in the San Diego area, buying a dual-membership for you and a friend is practically a steal-- at $42 per person, you can get an annual pass for both the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park, with discounts on attractions and food included in your membership. Mind you, a full-priced ticket runs for $35 now, $30 for students. Plus the purchase goes toward the Zoological Society, so your purchase is technically a donation that is tax-deductable! OK, that's enough plugging for now. Just go-- the elephants will thank you for it. :]
It was the first time Nikki had been to the SD Zoo in a while, so we tried to see as much as possible. It's amazing how many times I've been to the zoo in the last year and still haven't gotten tired of it. Animals are so fascinating and majestic in their individual ways.
It was the first time Nikki had been to the SD Zoo in a while, so we tried to see as much as possible. It's amazing how many times I've been to the zoo in the last year and still haven't gotten tired of it. Animals are so fascinating and majestic in their individual ways.
*Smooch* :]
If you're a San Diego local and haven't been lately, you've missed out on a lot of awesome new things. A new exhibit, "Elephant Odyssey" is the 7-acre new home of the zoo's elephant herd, along with a few new additions from the Wild Animal Park down the freeway. It is absolutely phenomenal. Truly, SDZ deserves to be considered one of the world's greatest zoos for its extensive work in animal husbandry and enrichment. Not only does the exhibit house the elephants, but a pair of African lions, a regal Secretary bird, and an impressive (but no less ugly) flock of California Condors, the once extant species of California bird that was re-introduced into the wild several years ago after years of captive breeding at the CRES facility located at the Wild Animal Park (an equally fascinating area that offers tours to the public. Two words: Frozen Zoo.)
Also, with equal excitement, I'm happy to inform you that a panda recently gave birth to a healthy male cub and that a polar bear is possibly expecting (it's hard to do ultrasounds on a 700 lbs female with a healthy storage of winter blubber).
*Sniff* Smells like mine...
Well, that's all for now. Here's to the new school year: my last (full) year in undergrad! Woot!
Photos may not be used or reprinted without permission
(c) A. Nguyen 2009
