A Day at the Zoo

As usual, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather today and go to the Kyoto Municipal Zoo. Entrance fee is 500¥ for adults. A sunny spring day is the best cause even though the sun is shining brightly, the weather is just nice...not too hot like a summer's day where you will be spending most of your time hiding from the sun and wiping the sweat from your face. I had cycled past the zoo many times but the place seemed so small for a zoo. However, since I refused to stay indoors today and had no money to go shopping, the zoo was my best option. I have to say that I really did enjoyed myself today but I had to compare Kyoto's zoo to Taiping's zoo and I think that Taiping's zoo wins hands down. And not because I am a Taiping girl, therefore am biased. But I think that the Taiping's zoo's concept is better in the sense that there are more open spaces instead of cages for the animals to roam about. But all in all, it was a good outing. Poor Eddie, he was so tired at the end. One thing I regret though, I did not bring a pen or paper with me, so I couldn't jot down all the names of the animals.



I have to start with the peacocks cause they are gorgeous! Look at the colour! That brilliant blue. Wow....There were three, or was it four male peacocks in the enclosure. The first time we were there, one of the males spread his plumage. Then the next time we were there, three of them spread their beautiful feathers. What a sight. They were trying to impress the females.



Look at those feathers. I adjusted the contrast for this photo. If not, the colour would not come out so nicely.



A close up look at the plumage. Also adjusted the contrast for this picture.



The Japanese serow with the twisted horn. I think it is the Japanese serow.



A sea turtle swimming away. There were three species of turtles in that aquarium itself. I have no idea which one this is.



Penguin having fun



The penguins enjoying the cool water.



Pink flamingos. They had a large mirror installed at one part of the enclosure. I wonder what it is for. To fool the birds into thinking there is a large group of them?



Hippo's head. It was gigantic! There were two of them I think. I wanted it to open it's huge mouth for me, but it didn't.



Up, close and personal with a male mandrill's mouth. Contrast adjusted. Too much reflection on the glass wall.



Up, close and personal with a male mandrill's ass. Contrast adjusted. Again, too much reflection.



Crocodile or aligator? Please someone tell me. I think it is a croc.



Interesting sea/fresh water animal. Is it a toad species? Or something else? Contrast / brightness adjusted for this picture.



Aren't my feet pretty? Lar Gibbon



Looking out through the glass wall. Lar Gibbon or White handed gibbon



Such a sad picture. The cage...the solitary figure huddled at the corner. A beautiful day outside but trapped inside. Lar Gibbon

Pope Benedict XVI

Today, at approximately 1.55am Japan time, on Wednesday morning, a new pope was announced. I was up and surfing around when the breaking headlines *Cardinals elect new Pope* caught my attention. I didn't expect the cardinals to come to a decision so soon so it was a surprise and of course, I was excited to know who will lead the church in the next few years. So, I was watching the BBC's Live coverage at the Vatican Square when the cardinal arrived at the window to announce the new pope who up till now was a mystery to everyone. And just at the crucial moment when he was about to announce the new pope's name, the screen froze and I couldn't reconnect to the live coverage anymore. It was so frustrating!. So I had to wait patiently for either CNN or BBC ( who were very quick to update their headlines ) to announce the name of the cardinal who was elected Pope. It turned out to be Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was a leading contender and one of the favourites of the bookies. He chose the name Pope Benedict XVI. Now, I have to admit that I don't know who Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is or any other cardinals for that matter because none of them really stood out in the limelight until Pope John Paul's death. This is a historic moment in the Roman Catholic history ( as were all the other elections ) and I had wish I was there to witness this and the funeral of Pope John Paul.

Pope Benedict XVI is already 78 years old and therefore his papal reign would not be as long as Pope John Paul's. No doubt that his election as Pope would delight some people and at the same time, upset others. He is known to be a man who has strong conservative views. He has inherited a church that had seen troubled times and is still struggling to cope with it. He will lead the world's one billion catholics who are divided between the traditionalists and the reformists. Can he form a bridge between the two? Or push one side away? How will he answer to pressing questions such as the church's stand against abortion, contraception, women's role in the clergy and the sexual abuse scandals that had rocked the church? Will he be as media savvy as his predesessor?

But on the other hand, his reign may be the very thing that the church needs. He is needed as the transition phase for the church. One cannot turn from conservative or traditionalist to modernist overnight. There has to be an adequate transition phase to ensure that any movement towards modernising the church would have enough air to breathe.

Whatever the future holds for the catholic church, we hope that Pope Benedict XVI will be able to guide the church to the best of his abilities. And that may God bless and guide him throughout his reign as Pope Benedict XVI.

Kamogawa River

Since the weather is getting much warmer these days in the afternoon, more and more people are coming out to enjoy the sun and warmth of an afternoon spring day. The Kamogawa river is a popular spot, as the river is quite shallow and the water looks clean ( *looks* clean but whether it is clean, is another story ) and the scenery is beautiful.



Caught this kid resting underneath the bridge after playing with his friends on a Saturday evening.



This girl was happily skipping across the river.



Sparkling water......I think that was the kid's head at the bottom.

Flowers in spring

The past few days had been gloomy, the sun hidden by the clouds. So on Thursday, when the sky finally cleared and the sun was shining brightly, I took the camera and went flower hunting. All these pictures of flowers were taken along the streets I took to my campus and on the campus ground itself. Unfortunately, I do not know the names of these flowers except, the pink camelia which I thought was beautiful because of the perfect arrangement of petals.



I found this flower growing along the river banks......beautiful.



Pink sakuras along the Philosophy Path. These flowers really stood out because of its darker shade of pink compared to the more common sakuras.



This is the exception, I took this picture at the Kyoto Botanical Gardens



I know I should know the name of this flower, but I had forgotten. Anyone?



Lovely orange.....



My friend told me the name of this flower. I can't remember it anymore!



You can find these flowers all over campus ground



Pink camellia......beautiful arrangement of petals, don't you think? I had another picture of it in the previous post. I love this flower.



You can find this flower growing mostly anywhere

Kyoto Botanical Garden in Spring

Gorgeous place in springtime, well, naturally because it is a botanical garden and where else can you find a wide variety of flowers? Rows and rows of red tulips first greet you when you enter the garden. The sudden shock of seeing the stunning red gives way to pleasure. And beyond the red tulips were the sakura trees in full bloom. Red and pink against the blue sky.



Gorgeous gorgeous tulips ( Fosteriana Tulips / Red Emperor Tulips )



Red and pink....



Two boys so fascinated with the fountain



A close up view of a flower ( a poppy anemone )



A close up view of another flower ( poppy anemone )



Tulip ( Tulipa 'Ad Rem' ) against the fountain spray



Flower, flower, flower.....a camellia species



More tulips ( Fosteriana Tulips / Red Emperor Tulips )....



At the entrance of the tropical greenhouse ( Arum Lily/Calla Lilly, Zantedeschia aethiopica )



Hanami with the added view of the gorgeous red tulips



Ever seen the inside of a Red Emperor Tulip?

Philosophy Path

One of the most famous places in Kyoto to enjoy the sakura trees while you stroll leisurely underneath the white or pink flowers along the path. There is a small stream where both sides are lined with the trees. But be warned, hundreds of tourists walk this path when the trees are in full bloom. Along the street there are quaint cafes and restaurants and also handicraft shops for you to browse in.



Ladies in elaborately clad kimonos strolling along the path



Caught a pigeon resting among the sakuras



A view of the path.



The ladies again posing for tourists

Shinnyodo Temple

Another famous place to see the sakura trees. We went there during momiji and I think that momiji was better. But, perhaps, the trees weren't really in full bloom. There were too many bare maple trees around which sort of spoilt the view. Nonetheless, there are some areas that were beautiful.



Sakura against the temple wall





Sakura against a blurred backdrop of the temple's bell



Sakura against an open window

Kiyamachi dori in spring

I personally think that Spring, especially when the sakuras are blooming is the most beautiful time in Kyoto. Autumn comes a close second. The thing with autumn is that in order to enjoy the beautiful maple trees, one has to go to the shrines or temples or parks where the trees are in full colour. Elsewhere, if there are no maple trees or gingko trees, then you would only see bare branches, which is not very picturesque. However, when it is sakura time, even the city itself changes. These pictures are taken along Kiyamachi dori, along Sanjo to Shijo, where a small stream runs and dozens of sakura trees are planted along river bank.



Resting their aching legs while enjoying the view



Sakura trees along the river banks



A duck swimming along the stream with a sakura petal on its head



Sunlight through the flowers



A place to rest your weary legs