The Prague Zoo

On Friday, as there were no classes, I went for the day to the Prague Zoo, the 7^th best zoo in the world.  Admission for students was only 150 crowns = about $8.  (Sidenote: for senior citizens, the entrance fee is only 1 crown which is equivalent to about $0.05 CENTS.)

It was sooo big!  For my Nebraska folk, imagine the Omaha zoo, double the size (and the walking time) and cut in half the amount of animals. 

Some of the exhibits were closed however. So we didn't get to see monkeys as well as other animals.
There was a vicious flood here in Prague in 2002, and the damage to the zoo (as well as other parts of the city) were massive.  The sky tram was still under construction, and there were signs all over the zoo explaining the damage and showing how high the water rose.  In many parts of the zoo, the water would have been over our heads. One passerby even explained that when the floods hit, the zoo wasn't prepared, so many animals got out.  One seal supposedly swam all the way north to Germany, where it died a couple days after being found.  (Don't know if it's true or not for sure, but the story is pretty neat :) 

This was comparable to the jungle dome in Omaha. 

On one of many paths through the jungle dome. 

From left: Bianca (from New York), Me, and Wen Jia (from Singapore).
We are in front of the elephant habitat.

My friend Munirah and I near the temple for the Elephant God. 

I was incredulous at the size, and at some of the habitats created for the animals.  The upside was the 6 or 7 elephants (including babies), and that seemed to be the main attraction for the zoo.  However, there were no aquariums, no sharks, no jellyfish, no lions, and only one tiger and panther.  It seemed that they specialized in animals that were native to the American Midwest!  There was an abundance of horses, bison and different types of antelope and moose.

One of the many lengthy paths at the Prague Zoo.
Soo beautiful, and sooo much walking!

Here’s a couple key cultural differences: I could smoke mostly anywhere in the zoo, and there was beer served at every convenience shop that we passed inside the zoo.  And yes, people were drinking!

Three Singapore ladies and one girl from New York.
I absolutely adored this part of the zoo, not because
of the horses, but because of their excitement toward
the horses :)

However, I enjoyed the day very much.  The most priceless part of the visit was watching my Singapore friends gush over the horses.  They took pictures, pet the miniature horses, and their faces absolutely glowed.  I stayed back so they could enjoy the moment, and I even took pictures of their happiness.  They noticed I wasn’t as excited as they about the horses, but merely wore a sloppy grin at their amusement.  The opportunity allowed me to explain what life is like in the Midwest country. 

I explained how cattle drives work, that brandings were a real thing, how I’ve ridden a horse too many times to count in my life, and that yes, when you need money, you sell cows.  This prompted a hilarious Facebook status from my Singapore friend, Keith.  It read: “My friend sold a cow to come on this trip. True story.” 

It’s a life so foreign to the metropolis college students of Singapore.  And in turn, their lives on the overpopulated island are unimaginable to me as well. 

But today, its back to the books (literally half a dozen books to read before another test on Monday).

Best,

Cass