National Zoo - DC

I haven’t been to a zoo since I was about 14 so I was due a trip and I was very lucky to get to visit the National Zoo in Washington. Efforts to encourage others to be awake and active at 10am on a Saturday had been unsuccessful, so I was alone as I walked up Connecticut Ave. to the zoo’s main entrance.



I was surprised to have heard before my visit that entrance to the zoo was free so I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but I was delighted to find it well maintained and excellently laid out. In addition they have provided detailed displays (more than I could take in to be honest) on habitat, location, feeding, society and other details of each of the animals in a visual and succinct way. These displays managed to provide you with enough information to give you more insight into the animals you were seeing and as an added bonus the keepers and staff were out and about approaching groups of visitors to answer questions and provide even more info, and both managed this in a friendly way without being patronizing or confusing (or using Latin) which I thought was wonderful.

The zoo follows a central path, Olmstead Walk, which runs the full length of the zoo. Most of the various animal houses branch off this path and loop back to it, which means you can wander off to see anything that takes your fancy and not be forced to back-track to see everything. That said I did miss a number of things as it was a swelteringly hot and humid day and after two and a half hours I was feeling the heat; something the animals and I shared and a number were inactive or tucked away.

What did I manage to see? Pandas (both red and giant) Elephants, Hippos (regular and pigmy), Lions, Fishing cats, Tigers, Turtles, Gorillas, Lemurs, Tamarins, Meerkats, Otters, Sloth Bears and my favourite discovery of the day; Orangutans.

Quite by accident I happened to be walking past the Orangutans enclosure just after 11am and (apparently something they do about this time most days) I managed to catch the sight of them climbing the towers in their enclosure and crossing overhead which I am happy to be able to share with you here.

My day at the zoo finished at a Mexican restaurant – which I wont name here for fear of liable claims, but suffice to say I wont be going back - with two friends Martha and Michael; both of whom get a mention here; Michael for showing up and making me feel less like a friendless tourist and Martha for providing transport and keeping us from getting soaked in the thunderstorms - even if she did miss the zoo – I told you 1pm :-P

All the pictures from my trip can be seen here.

Embassy Tour

Here's the scoop: In May the embassies in DC open their doors to the public and put on cultural displays, exhibitions and information on their country.

In typical fashion I didn't know about the events until the last day (May 17th). I heard about the Embassy Tour in DC through a friend on facebook and though I didn't meet up with the group who were going from there I did manage to wander through several embassies.

It is a weird thought as you wander into a building in DC, but technically (as far as I understand it) you are entering that country, as the embassies are considered sovereign territory.

I visited the Korean, Indonesian, Argentinian and Trinidad and Tobago Embassies.

The Korean Embassy.

Slightly confusing as you walk along Massachusetts Avenue as there seem to be multiple buildings with the the Korean flag outside, but finally finding the right one I walked into a fairly modern building which did not seem to have the grandeur I was expecting. The people on the door were very welcoming and I saw exhibits displaying elegant pale green pottery, traditional Korean dress and re-curve bow making displays. I also watched a short video on Korean which was informative but felt a little too much like a travel agent's promotional video. Outside they had a Taekwondo demonstration and beautifully painted fence which is supposed to promote long life.

Indonesian Embassy.

Despite the queue (something I saw more and more of as the day progressed) this visit was well worth the wait. The entrance hall to the embassy is magnificent and as it was a gloriously sunny day the decorative stain glassed skylight was magnificent. The double winged staircase leading up through the center held more of the decadent extravagance I was expecting to see.





With a brief welcome to the embassy, which was handled with humour, we were passed on to an open ballroom in which a small band played for us a part of a traditional warrior's song.

From there I visited some more of the embassy (including another tourist video). There was stunning wood work at various points including a scaled model of an awesome temple.







Argentinian Embassy

I read a few historical displays on Argentina and took part in a free half hour Tango lesson which was fun. While there didn't seem to be the obligatory tourist video the leaflets and posters being given away assumed you were planing to visit and, now that I have more information on Argentina than I can think what to do with, I can't say I'm not considering it...

Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago

I've saved the best till last for you, so if you're still reading well done and here is your reward; two videos of the steel band playing in the back room of the embassy.

To say that things were a little chaotic inside the embassy would be an understatement as large numbers of people wandered through the space in a haphazard fashion, but everyone was in good spirits, enjoying the energy of the band and the snacks they served were delicious.

Well that's it, unfortunately; I got to the Australian embassy as they closed, due to an insanely long queue I wasn't able to visit the Indian Embassy which from the description sounded interesting and more disappointing was the Japanese Embassy which required pre-booking for the Tea house tour. That said I did have a great day and I'm bookmarking Cultural Tourism DC who advertised and help organise the events and penciling in a return next year.