Dec 11, Sunday

Dec 11, Sunday

Well this turned out to be a busy day.  At 7 am when I opened up the curtains, the sun was shining and the sky was blue.   By 8 am, the sun was gone and the skies were grey again; so much for the weather predictions.   Today is the day I have to switch hotels anyway, so I ended up spending a few lazy hours watching a French TV movie, packing, and checking out at around 11:30.  A short taxi ride to the Ibis Hotel, a quick check-in, and I get my room card since some rooms have already been cleaned and are ready for occupancy.   Don’t know if it’s a good omen, but I’m here for 5 nights and I’ve been given room 555.   Time will tell.

I drop off the luggage and take off for the zoo, despite the clouds.  Two metro rides, easy-peasy, and I’m at the Jabaquara station, from which there should be a zoo-bus.  A look at the “surrounding area” map (located in each metro station – priceless !) I fail to locate the area from which I will be able to find the bus stop to the zoo.  I spot a couple of security guards, and with my map in had manage to ask them where the bus stop is located.  They direct me up to Station A up on the street level.  Unfortunately, once there I don’t see any sign that screams “Zoo” so I go to one of the ticket counters and ask again;  the lady points around the corner of the ticket stand.  Off I go around the corner, and there is finally a sign for the zoo ticket booth.   I purchase my ticket, which includes the two bus rides and the zoo entrance, and am pointed to the bus which is just about to leave.   Quick 5-10 minute ride and we are at a secondary entrance to the zoo. But I should mention that when I got off the bus I noticed that the sun was shining and the clouds were white !   YES.

 Gorgeous felines of all kinds

  This one actually posed for the cameras

 Big tortoise lumbering along

 Haming it for the cameras.  Not quite, he wants the fish in her bucket

 Bear cooling off in his pool

 Beautiful pair of wolves

 Huge Rhinos

 A couple of Harpi Eagles.  The male's head is completely turned around, just like an owl can do.  The female is sitting, nice look at her beak.

  White peacocks.  First time for me.

 During the "safari" drive by portion

 They know there's food in these metal contraptions !

 Close up view, and no !  that's not my hand. This guy turned out to be quite agressive

 Beautiful gentle deer

 and here comes a herd of them !

 Camels.  The brown one is shedding badly

 and so is this one.  Hope it's a natural process and not some type of disease.

 A white tiger

 One of three lions

 Gorgeous tiger

  Just come a little bit closer.  I dare you !

 Just aping around.  The one in the background was really intent on his fingers.  He stared at played with them for about 5 minutes.  The one if the foreground hammed it up for the cameras and finally turned around and mooned us.

 Male orangutan, looking very sad and pensive.

 Family of monkeys on there little island

 And the last and most appropriate photo:  Saint Francis of Assisi, looking out across the lake.

I arrived at 1 pm and left at 5 pm, having walked the entire time except for the 45 minute drive through the Zoo Safari portion.   I took over 200 photos, but the metal grid fencing played havoc with my zoom in many shots.  Here are some of the best shots.  There were also a lot of birds, but most you’ve seen in my shots from Iguasu Bird Sanctuary.

The ride back was just as easy as the ride in and I was back at my hotel by 6 pm in need of a shower and food.   This Ibis Hotel has a good restaurant which serves full meals at night at reasonable prices.  Very nice day.  

And it’s supposed to be sunny tomorrow as well.  The botanical gardens, or one of the other many parks, are in my near future.

PS:  No internet connection in the room, so communication may not be on a daily basis.