On Sunday, we decided to try out the Zoo! We have heard from countless people that this Zoo is definitely on the top of the list of things to see. But, as usual, getting there was our most adventurous part! We had to walk through our neighborhood, to the train, then hop on a bus, which would take us the rest of the way to the Zoo. Easy enough, right? Not for us! The walk to the train, and the train ride itself was fine, but when it comes to disaster, our bus trip was one! First, when we were getting on the bus, we didn't realize we should have folded up our stroller before getting on. So, we tried to fold it up, and not realizing we had a basketful of stuff, this took a minute. So, there we are holding up all of these people crammed on this bus on the middle of a Sunday. When we finally got the stroller folded up, we realized we had no idea where our rogue toddler had gone. Whoops! So, we get on the bus to see that she has made herself comfortable right next to a man who looked like he could be angry enough to break something. During the drive on the bus, which was quite rough. Picture me, a tall, large woman standing in the middle of a bus packed with 50 other people, and a stroller, trying to control a toddler that is 5 feet away sitting next to an angry man. In between telling Annabelle to "Stop kicking him," "you're bothering him," "Don't stand up on the seat," "Don't push that stop button," "Put your legs together, we can see your underwear," I realized, I'm also simultaneously whacking this poor teenager in the head with the wheels from my stroller. Oh, and lets not forget the time that Annabelle decided to start twerking on the pole, and made everyone laugh. Holy cow. When it comes to unprepared tourists, we definitely fit the mold! Anyway, we eventually made it to the Zoo, and I was so happy to get off that bus, but still made sure to make it clear that we were "NEVER RIDING THAT F*CKING BUS AGAIN!"
Now that we were at the Zoo, we noticed a line that was so long, I figured we would be stuck for at least an hour before we even got in, and Annabelle was really in a mood. But, to our surprise a nice older woman came over to tell us about the Priority Queue line that is made for people like us who can't control their toddlers! And, we were able to skip the hour long line, and get tickets in 2 minutes! And so we were in! Right from the start, this Zoo was pretty cool. The first exhibit was an open monkey exhibit, and they were close enough to touch! Annabelle was in Heaven, and we saw some great things! Her favorite was probably the Koalas, and she has still been talking about them ever since we left! Once Annabelle started stripping off her shoes and socks, we knew it was time to go, so we made our way to the Taxi line. In true American tourist fashion, we even made getting into a Taxi look difficult. When it was time to fold up the infamous stroller, I grabbed our bag out of the basket and realized that our can of sunscreen had exploded all over everything. EVERYTHING. Thick, white Zinc Oxide sunscreen. Even all over my brand new camera. UGH! Meanwhile, Annabelle is walking around in the Taxi, rolling the windows up and down, opening the doors, and screaming "MAMA" over and over again. When we finally got loaded up and into the backseat, the driver asked where we want to go, and we didn't even know! Ha! So, we told him to drop us off at the mall that was by the train station so we could grab a quick lunch and hop on the train to get home.
Once we arrived at the mall, and decided to eat at Texas (Church's) Chicken, we ordered, and noticed there wasn't one table available. So,we stood there watching like hawks for a table to open, as our child is screaming "EAT" at everyone who will notice. When we finally got a table, I parked our sunscreen filled stroller outside, and got us all seated. I handed out everyone's food, and Annabelle began to throw a tantrum because I wouldn't let her have the entire bowl of chicken strips, that was actually my lunch. So, once again, all eyes were on us as we try to calm down our child and remain calm. Holding back the tears as best I could, I yanked her bottom out of her seat, took her to the middle of the mall, and gave her my "Mom speech." It is so hard to stay calm when all day, everyday, you listen to the same random tantrums over and over and over again. It's even harder when you're in public, in a foreign country, surrounded by people who aren't parents! After eating, we were finally on the train, and on our way home.
Once off the train, we were walking down the sidewalk, when I hear Annabelle laughing about something. This is not usually a good sign. I look down to see that she had helped herself to our exploded sunscreen mess, and had managed to wipe it all over herself! She had SO MUCH sunscreen on, it was hilarious. It looked like war paint. She had stripes up and down her legs, and finger marks on her cheeks, and her hands were completely white. But, at least she wasn't screaming! So, for our mile walk home, she continued to reach into her sunscreen stash, and wipe it on herself, and then we were home! NAP TIME!
So, in closing, I'll just say this.... If our weekends continue on this way, we may be well known on this island! ;)
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