Lions, Tigers, and Nandu. Oh My!!! (9/24)

That's right! Zoos rock!!! Benjamin loves zoo animals. (He thinks the monkeys are his stepbrothers/sisters.) He imitates many of the animals on command. Priscilla suggested we all go to the zoo while Andres is out of town. She knows I love animals too, and she likes the company when Andres is gone. The Buin Zoo (click the link to see it's website) is one of two zoos in Santiago, offering several animals I've never seen before. We saw nandu (an ostrich-like bird), tapir (cross a deer and a pig, and -Whalla!- tapir!), mara (a huge rabbit that walks instead of hops), pygmy hippopotami, pudu (the worlds smallest deer), buitre real (a buzzard with a rainbow colored head and neck) and several funky breeds of more familiar animals. We saw turtles making love, a white tiger on the prowl, a very bold goat, butt-ugly monkeys and albino peacocks. Despite the X-rated turtle exhibit and judging by the crowd, if you have a little kid, the zoo is the place to be! We certainly had a good time!

Really, what was most fun was hanging out with Priscilla and Benjamin. We washed our car and took Benja for a drive in his new, motorized jeep. He loves it! (Now if only he could drive it without crashing into everything. :o) We listened to music, watched a movie and downloaded pictures. I guess, as Aunt and Uncle, you could call it our family obligation!