I found this today. I’m assuming they did it in honor of the Alice in Wonderland movie that came out. I thought I would share it with people because it is pretty cute. Kermit the frog interviews Alice while in Wonderland.
Nothing like a good nights sleep; does wonders for the mind and body. When I woke up, I was feeling so much better than the day before. Even in a strange bed, I was surprised just how comfy it was1 I know it’s one of the best four star Dubai hotels, but all the same, the bed was unexpectedly comfy.
I’ve only been here a few days and this new country was calling for me to check it out. I decided to do the ‘touristy’ things. But before that, I just had to take in a few laps in the swimming pool and kick around the football with some local kids in the courtyard of the hotel and then take one more swim. I then went outside of my hotel to catch a bus. I ended up meeting a great couple, they were trying to catch the same bus that I was. We had tremendous fun trying to wave down a bus for almost three-quarters of an hour! Each bus continued to ignore us, and we had to ignore the taxis wanting to give us a lift. Eventually, we all decided to split the taxi fare, which was great because we were also headed to the same park! Za’abeel Park.
When we arrived, we went our separate ways. My first day here, I managed only a moment here, but now I can investigate the park all day. I was hoping to find a mini golf course, but that hasn’t been built yet. The park itself is very relaxing and very beautiful, so green and it insulates one from all the hubbub of the city. I made it from one end to the other and I crossed path with so many strange statues, like a koala monument and a surfing Kangaroo, very weird indeed. I then headed back out of the oasis to the concrete jungle of gigantic tall buildings. It was a very hot afternoon and walking around was wiping me out. I hailed a taxi to take me back to my hotel so I can hang around the pool for the rest of the day.
The global economic crisis, combined with the concerns for the wildlife of the planet, and the conservation of that wildlife, has caused the Wildlife Conservation Society to act. A few months ago the CEO and President of the organization, Doctor Steven Sanderson issued a statement regarding the realignment of the programs that will ensure a more flexible and stronger stance, even in this uncertain and ever-changing world. This was not an off-the-cuff statement, as the Society has been coming up with a plan of attack for this situation which has included may of the businesses in the city, and will be implemented over the next ten years.
This plan includes all New York City parks, that give life to the people living in Manhattan, and to those that visit the New York five star hotels such as the Royalton Hotel every year. This comes in light of a fifteen million dollar cut in funding, but this will not stop the plan. Sanderson assures that this will only serve to allow the city to emerge as a stronger force in the realms of conservation efforts, and that the commitments that they hold to the city of Manhattan, to the state of New York, and to all that live and thrive within, will be upheld.
They remain committed to educational programs that will inspire tourists to care, not only for New York City, but for the entire planet. Teachers and students will receive training in conservation and science, and they are requesting that the people of the world will join in those efforts. During these modern times, it is necessary that everyone, whether acting privately or acting with corporate intentions, become aware of the effects that their daily practices, be they private or public, have on the state of the environment.
The financial crisis has proven to be one that has resulted in the decline of funding, be that through governmental funding, or through private means, and this just puts the needs that are so important at the front of the line, the value is increased on those aspects of life that are most important. The plan includes the Queens Zoo, the Central Park Zoo, the Bronx Zoo, the New York Aquarium and the Prospect Park Zoo. The focus is to connect the people of the city, and the millions of tourists traveling through each year, to the nature…to the natural life that is found throughout the parks and throughout the entire city. The mission is to save the wildlife, and the wild places, not only of this city that is the heartbeat of a nation, but for all the cities of the world.
Today Pedro offered to drive me back to the Jerez zoo, Instead of having to take the train. This didn’t sound like such a bad idea since we met up and headed off to Jerez early the next morning. Driving there actually proved to be much more efficient than I thought it would be, especially between the two of us trying to figure out where we were on the map. We were able to follow the ‘zoologico’ signs and arrive at the zoo in no time at all. I really thought we’d end up driving around Jerez lost, but luckily we didn’t.
In fact, the Malaga Zoo, which is about 2 hours from Jerez, we decided we could make that trip today too. That’s how much time we saved by not taking the train. We have a room booked at a Malaga Spain Hotel, so we’ll be able to get there by check in time. Malaga was a stretch, but we decided to be chancy. We parked in this dirt parking area which was next to the zoo and headed straight for the hippos. We caught them sleeping and kind of hidden, so it was almost impossible to take a picture of them, a good one anyway. I had to crane my next around and down into their enclosure, and Pedro had to hold on to me so I wouldn’t fall over. All I ended up getting were shots of their bodies, no heads. So, Pedro started calling to them, trying to wake them up and get them out of the corner they were in, it was no use, the hippos were totally out of it.
Pedro said we’ll wait right where we were, if it takes all day, he wanted me to get a good photograph. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait long, with a bit of heavy lifting, on their part, they wandered over to their caged area in search of food. I snapped away with my camera. They didn’t find what they were looking for, so headed back to their corner again. But, I was satisfied with the shots I did get, so off we went to the Malaga Zoo and take hippo photos there.