This had been one of the most boring Sunday’s of my life. At 4:00 PM I had had enough, and asked our driver to take me around Addis Ababa. When we do not know much about the roads of a city and there is a language problem, letting the driver take us around should be considered a safe bet. It has its pitfalls too. He will take us to places that are important according to HIM. Now I am not belittling a driver’s intelligence nor am I being snobbish about his tastes. But there is certainly a gap between our expectations and his exertions. So we meandered along the roads, looking mostly at Churches of various antiquities. Then he showed us that Flagship of Boring Hospitality: The Sheraton. Can you believe it?? The Sheraton is a tourist must-see spot according to him.
I guessed his next destination was the Hilton so I nipped it in the bud and asked him to take us somewhere interesting.
“Sea lion?” he asked me.
"Yes," I said, "let’s go to where they keep Sea Lions."
I have seen them only in a circus or on The Discovery Channel. There was a large crowd, where we were going. Hmmm... this looks interesting I thought. We parked and went into an enclosure. Now the smell emanating from that place told me we were at a zoo.
"Oh my God I have come to visit a zoo!" I said to myself.
Now, it’s not that I had never gone to a zoo. I have been there many a times, as a kid. I remember going there once in my youth too because my current crush was crazy about monkeys, probably why she liked me! The last I visited a zoo was when my daughter was 3 and she is 18 now. So there I was in a zoo, expecting to get a glimpse of a Sea Lion. It was not to be. What Misrak my driver meant when he said “Sea lion” was “See lion?” My fault completely. But now that I was in there, I decided to enjoy myself.
We went to the enclosure where the lions were kept. Of course we were greeted by the inevitable and strong stench that emanates from animals kept in captivity. I don’t mean to say I expect them to be sprayed with Chanel or some such exotic scent. Maybe the lionesses like them that way. The king of the jungle that looks so beautiful but dangerous and menacing in the open Savannah looked like a big tame cat. The coat that is supposed to look shiny was jaded and patchy. The mane that excites poets was dandruff-y and needed shampooing. The lioness was more intent on the piece of bone from yesterday’s dinner than her beau. He too was lolling disinterestedly.
It was a circular enclosure that was divided into sections and each section had a pair. Every section had a nameplate, showing the names of the animals. Mr. Lion Smith. Mrs. Lioness Smith, and so on. One of the zoo keepers spoke something to the lion. I thought he said: "Hey! You have visitors from India.” We were ignored, so the lion got a prod in his butt. Startled, he got up looked at us and yawned, he definitely does not brush his teeth I thought, and again settled down in a reverie. Maybe he was thinking about life in the open, and what great fun it would have been to chase this rascal who had prodded him in the butt. Oh well.
We started our perambulation of the cages. One of the lionesses was young and active. She was pacing about in the cage. Her mate was inevitably lolling. We were pretty close to the bars. I think she liked the color of my pants and wanted to take a bite. Snap!! Poor lady, bit a bar of steel instead of a bar of butt. Next cage had a family, mom, dad and Simba. Again Mr. Lion was lazing around. Lady Lioness was pacing and Simba was prancing. The crowd was thicker here. They were excitedly saying “Lion!! Lion!!” Then one kid suddenly shouted, "Indian!! Indian!!" So all eyes were on me. I felt very embarrassed. Imagine hundreds of eyes staring at you as if you are an oddity, just like the animal in the zoo. I was saved by the Lion who thought I was stealing his thunder and gave out a huge roar. Immediately, Indian, namaste, Shah Rukh Khan were forgotten. I took this opportunity to escape. Whew, now I know how these animals must feel when we intrude upon their privacy. I must end this blog. If I haven’t bored you to sleep, you are welcome to post your experiences in a zoo.