Day 9: Pandamonium at the Zoo!

Friday 18 July, 2008

Today we went to Beijing Zoo, which is only a 5 minute cab ride away from Beijing Foreign Studies Uni. As I walked outside I realised it wasn’t just smog that I had seen out of my window that morning, but it was rain as well. Luckily I packed my umbrella because we definitely needed it. It was only sprinkling at the uni but by the time I got to the Zoo it was pouring down - so much so that my shoes were soaked, my legs were dripping and I was beginning to think we should just pack up and go home.

We persevered though, and it ended up being worthwhile. The zoo was definitely a different experience to home, and the main attraction were the Pandas. They are the cutest, cuddliest looking creatures, but I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t want to spoon with one - it would eat you alive, or at least try to. The rest of the zoo was a bit disappointing though, because it was raining all the animals were kept in cages and they didn’t look as if they were going to get out any time soon. There were 3 elephants in one 15m x 5m room. It almost made me sick.
Many of the other animals were free to roam and looked like they were kept in good condition though, so it wasn’t all bad. I also got my photo taken with a monkey, which is probably the most hilarious thing I have seen yet. I didn’t go to the aquarium because I was feeling pretty crappy by then, but I’m thinking maybe I should go back as everyone is now raving about it.
Instead I went out to dinner with the Girls at Annie’s - a beautiful Italian restaurant in Beijing. The food is genuinely Italian, almost as good as the real thing. Even the pizza is better than we can get in many Australian places. Top notch! I will definitely be having that again whenever I feel homesick!