Don't Feed the Monkeys

I'm Pro-Giraffe!   

Shortly after "The Great Walk," when I had gained feeling in my feet again, Sam, Avi and I decided to go to the zoo.  We  talked about it and made a plan to go on a Sunday.  We decided to meet at 1, and with only some minor difficulty, we all made it there around 1:45.  It was a cold, greyish day in January, so the zoo was less than crowded.  Although the sky threatened rain, it held off and we were able to see what we wanted.  Sam had his heart set on gorillas and penguins; Avi wanted to see the lions and tigers; and I wanted to see the giraffes and otters.   What we didn't realize was that The Monkey House was the place to be!

The Monkey House

 On the left side of the entrance there are two large plexiglass windows that reveal the inside of the shelter for the Bolivian Black-Capped Squirrel Monkeys.  They were tinny and there were so many of them.  What I didn't realize is that you actually get to go into their habitat and interact with them.  It's a netted off area with an open top created to replicate the rain forest in Bolivia and the monkeys are everywhere.  It was super cool to say the least.  We wound around the path and came to a stop where people were taking pictures of a few that were sitting on a post.  These little guys are super cute!  They are a little bigger than a cob of corn and are quick!  There were two volunteers  in oversized jackets standing close making sure no one grabbed the monkeys and vice versa.  As we watched, a woman with a stroller, sans baby, came near to the action.  Suddenly one of the monkeys jumped onto the stroller and picked up a bag that was tucked into the handle of the stroller and pulled out the remnants of a muffin and began eating it.  The volunteers panicked a little and tried to get to the little guy without success.  It was in the bushes within seconds, knowing that was his only chance of keeping his treat. The women in their huge jackets began jumping around sticking their arms and faces into the dense shrubbery in an attempt to locate the critter, who was now joined by an accomplice.  Due to the giggles in the crowd one of the women popped up and panted in her most serious voice about how it was not funny because of how bad the food is for the monkeys; which is entirely true, however from our perspective things looked a whole lot different.  The fact that these two women were flapping around in clownishly large coats trying desperately to catch two monkeys the size of corn cobs, hiding in a giant bush with contraband, was hilarious!  The monkeys were popping in and out of the bushes while the women tried their best to grab the remnants of the muffin from them.  It was like watching the hillbilly version of whack-a-mole.  After a bit a crowed had gathered, so we decided to move on to another exhibit as we had already seen the show.  

One of the things I appreciate most about the British is their sense of humor.  They have a very polite and humorous way of being honest.  As we approached The Monkey House I noticed a banner hanging on the outside of the entrance.  It had a cartoony character on it and was blue and white.  I didn't pay much attention  initially because I assumed it had to do with a kids camp or something similar.  On our way out of the monkey house, I looked over and noticed the same sign as before, but this time it wasn't obstructed.  It was a cartoon of a boy on one side holding his right hand in the air which contained four intact fingers and a bloody stump of a ring finger.  On the opposite side of the banner was a monkey sitting on a stump with blood running down its teeth and chin.  It read "Meet Norman Nine Finger (he tried to feed the monkeys) Please don't touch or feed the animals - they sometimes BITE! Bahahaha!  AWESOME!

Norman Nine Fingers

Avi being gobbled up by a lioness!

We proceeded to visit the penguins, otters, giraffes, lions, tigers, llamas (one of which had only one eye and had been given the name Captain, and was cartoonishly depicted in a sign with an eyepatch, classic!), pigs, camels, zebras, and all sorts of other animals!  It started spitting just as the zoo was about to close so we made our way to the only shelter we could find, the gift shop,  and warmed up a bit, well played zoo, well played!  We looked around and then headed out.  We walked back through Regents Park, which is filled with rugby fields, manicured gardens, walking paths and benches.  It was getting dark but the walk was crisp and beautiful none-the-less.  And at one point, Avi stopped in his tracks to ask why we were walking so fast.  Sam's reply, "We are walking at a normal pace!" 

Sam and I on the bus

As we were all cold and hungry we decided to grab fish and chips from a chippy (a British term for a fish and chip shop) down the road from my house called "The Venice Fish Bar."  I'd not yet had their fish and chips but had heard they were amazing.  We jumped on the bus and off at the chippy.  There they freshly battered and fried three huge fish fillets for us and stacked each one onto a heaping bed of chips, topped them with vinegar and salt and wrapped them up in newspaper.  We walked up the hill to my flat and ate until we were full.  What a great way to end a day with friends!  

Fish and Chip GOODNESS!

**Shameless plug!! Since then, I've tried several different versions of the same meal other places around London and nothing seems to quite measure up to the fish and chips of Little Venice!