Woke up really early, which is usual for me being on holiday despite being extra tired, and XR joined me with XJ for breakfast.
I was then able to rest for a short while before going to Beijing Zoo metro station to meet KY, who arrived shortly after I got the tickets. There were so many people I was worried we would be queuing for ages.
I love the “ancient” Chinese style to the zoos in China, which have some traditional beautiful buildings and bridges.
My favourite part of the zoo had to be the waterfowl lake, with at least a couple of kinds of swans, geese, and several types of duck. I think we both felt a bit sad that it seems all the birds’ wings are clipped to stop them from flying away; but perhaps it is understandable.
My other favourite animal was the panther, pacing around as cats do.
The downside to this zoo is that it does not seem very well maintained. For example, most of the “cages” have glass sides that are really dirty. This is rather a pity considering one main reason for a zoo is to let people see the animals! The combination of dirt, reflections due to the bright sunlight, and the crowds of people made it very difficult to get any reasonable photos. In one part (the nocturnal animals area) KY said that the place hadn’t changed in 30 years!
There were so many people squashed around some cages, I had to just hold the camera above their heads, point and shoot, without seeing what I was taking.
All photos:
