The park, which resides in Beppu/Oita is a three hour bus ride away. I found out this week when my mom came to visit that she grew up in Oita! I also found out that Oita is famous for their great abundance of onsens (hot springs) and monkeys! It was at that very moment that I was able to fully understand why my dad always jokes that my mom is a monkey. Not only is my mom from the city of monkeys, she also happens to be born on the year of the monkey! Oh boy, good times ;)
Aaaanywho, we rode in these mobile bus-cages (that resembled some wild beast) and got to feed lions, and deers, and bears, and elephants,... and giraffes! Oh! then when we got off the bus we got to feed kangaroos (I had no idea how super soft their fur would be!) ...and and and squirrel monkeys!! Omigawd, the squirrel monkeys! I swear, I would take the whole 3 hour bus ride in a heartbeat just to see those little guys again! But when I went back to work the next day and gushed to my co's about them, they told me there's a place (called Biopark) only 45 minutes away that has them too :\ Grrr. Oh well, it was still cool to feed the big animals!
Dude, Giraffes have crazy long tongues.
Oh and the other guy in there is our friend Cary -he's from Hawaii too.
I absolutely adore the little Ojiichan monkey on the bottom right.
My deepest apologies for this horrid montage!
Go Wild! -me
