Friday trip to the St. Louis Zoo

Today is the last class of school for the semester before finals begin!~  This post is about last Friday. :)

Since I hadn't seen Book in 9238923 days (probably a month or so) even though we live literally 20 house units away, I wanted to hear about his Thanksgiving break in Bermuda, and he doesn't have classes on Fridays (Lucky!), I dragged him to the zoo we decided to go to the zoo.  The St. Louis Zoo is free! O_O  and it's a walk-able distance from school~  ^^

I had classes on Friday, so we had lunch together before my last class.  Big and hearty lunch to prepare for the long day of walking:  tilapia, cornbread, beans, and rice.  I like to eat fish :3

After I finished class, we walked to the zoo through Forest Park.  On the way there, I took pictures of a wedding group!  So pretty, like a Christmas scene!  :D

Winter theme!~

The zoo was so empty!  It was like having the zoo to ourselves.  Kind of cool, but kind of creepy @_@

Passengers on an empty choo choo train

We went to the butterfly dome, and I was scared about smushing any butterflies >_<  Did I ever tell you why I'm very scared of bugs / spiders?  I used to play with bugs a lot, but when I caught a pair of lovebugs with my hands, I opened my hands and saw that I smushed one of the love bugs.  And since the other love bug was sort of stuck to the dead one, it was like having a dead friend attached to you T_T  I'm so sorry!!  Ahhhh, and since then, I have run away from bugs.

In the jungle, the mighty jungle~

But Book said that butterflies are pretty.  Yes, they are, but I once saw a dead Monarch butterfly in my yard, so I flipped it over with a stick.  And it's face was very.. not pretty!  >_<!  *scared* The tongue things is really freaky.

 

There were quite a few pretty flying butterflies in the dome, and we saw a zookeeper just sitting in the middle of the dome silently.  It must be pretty peaceful watching the butterflies flutter around  :)  Do you guys have favorite butterflies?

After the butterfly dome and checking out the Insectarium with all sorts of bugs like huge millipedes, tarantulas, scorpions, beetles, and cockroaches (Book's worst nightmare), we moved on to the *real* animals :P  It was cold, so I wonder if the animals have little heated rooms or something.  But in the wild, I bet they are all very cold :(

I got pretty excited when I saw the Rhino ambling towards us.  I was like, "RHINOOOO!" and was echoed by some little elementary school kids also yelling, "Rhinoo!!!"  *jumping up and down* :D  Yay!

There were also a lot of cute animals like ant-eaters!  Their faces were so long @_@  As if they didn't really have faces?  So I read the brochure for this part of the zoo to get the "full experience" instead of just walking around and not learning anything.  I felt very accomplished and educated, haha!  The guide told us to look around for an impala up in a tree, which might have gotten there by being dragged by a cheetah or predator.

Book and I looked up from the guide and around the area, and we both let out a scream.  Er, at least, he let out a few curses and I ended up stepping on him.  ^_^''

 

Wah!!  A dead impala!!  >_<''  It looked really realistic with blood smears on its necks.  Book said the only reason he was scared was because he didn't know what an impala was, so he didn't know what to expect.  It's pretty cool how the zoo shows how predators treat their prey though, right? :)  Like saving a snack for later.

Then we visited an area for wild hogs and bat-eared foxes.  We only saw one type of animal, so I guessed it was the fox.  Book laughed at me, saying how ridiculous that idea was.  When I looked more closely, I had to agree they were hogs, haha!  But their ears were so weird that I thought they were "bat-eared!"

 

Debra told me the last time she went to the zoo, she saw a hippo and that it was really cute!  So when we arrived at the hippo place, I was ready to meet the big version of Henney!  (Henney is the stuffed animal hippo I sleep with.  Her auntie is Debra, and she was named after... Daniel Henney!  Hyu hyu hyu :3)

We saw the zoo keepers cleaning the hippo pond thing, but no hippo :(  Maybe he was on break while they cleaned the pool.  I wonder where he goes?  The water must had been freezing!  They still cleaned the pool with the fish inside though, and there were tons of fish!!

 

 

She gave me a thumbs up for the camera!  :D

I also saw hyenas for the first time ever. I was expecting them to be loud and bark a lot, since they laughed like crazy in the Lion King movie.  (Mufasa!  OooOOoh.  Mufasa!  :P)

Cute, right? ^^  They kind of look like my doggie!

Then we saw a broken area in the fence and, being the mischievous two kids we are, Book and I crawled through!  :O  We saw a pile on the floor and saw that it was a cobra, and I joked with Book that I'd give him $100 if he managed to kiss the Cobra.  AND HE DID!! @___@

 

Well the good thing is that I actually don't owe him $100, because we didn't actually crawl through a fence, and that this cobra was just a model.  Haha!  ;D  Did I fool you?

Then we saw an elephant ^^   Actually, I just learned in art history that there are two types of elephants: Asian and Indian.  Asian elephants have small ears, whereas Indian elephants have a sort of indention into their backs, unlike the bigger bump that Asian elephants have.  I wonder which type this one is?  Can't tell for sure, but I think it's an Asian elephant!

 

It was getting a little dark starting at 4pm, meaning we had one hour to explore before the zoo began to close.  Since it's winter, they have their Winter Wonderland light show displays.  Pretty!

Book and Ryan says that the zoo lets their penguins out to walk around with the patrons sometimes, but I didn't see them ambling about that day.  So we paid them a visit in their section at the zoo!

There was one pretty close to the rail area, so Book attempted to touch one without avail.  He said the penguin tried to bite him too!

 

Super cute ^_^

There were more penguins inside this little dome structure.. I think it was because they require a colder environment.  When I saw a penguin swimming really close to the ledge (totally in touchable distance), I told Book he could touch this one.  And then he jerked his head towards somewhere.  I looked around and saw that there was also a zoo keeper bundled up in there.  Ehhhh he he >_>''

Happy feet?

There were no penguins waddling around, but there were peacocks!  I tried to touch one, but it kept running away from me D:

On our walk to the Loop for dinner, we stopped by the art museum!  I've never there while not being on a art history field trip, so that was cool.  When we got a map from the front desk, I glanced at it and was only interested in the Egyptian and Armory collections.  I asked Book where he wanted to go, and he said, "Mmm.. I was thinking the armory and Egyptian stuff."  :O  Similar interests!  How interesting~ 

The museum is free, so patrons can come whenever they want!  Cool, right?  There was also a lot of furniture in there, so I'm guessing that's art too?

A mirror that Book thought was really cool

 

Oh, where did our heads go? :O

We arrived on the Loop later that night, and Book chose Blue Ocean Sushi for dinner.  When I walked in, I instantly got excited.  I LOVE beautiful fake food!  It's like Taiwan :')

I came here once before, but it was under a different name.  The seating area was exactly the same, so I remembered the dinner Taejin, Debra, and I had here before.  I had some beef dish soup and it was really good.  I wonder how he's doing? :/  Maybe Taejin oppa will eat here again in the future! 

It was happy hour, so appetizers were half off.  Book and I ordered a sampler plate and edemame.

I found out that I really like gyoza!  The skin is thinner than Chinese dumplings ^^ Nom nom nom!~  Book got rice topped with raw sashimi, and I got the tonkatsu don with egg.

 

Preparing to unveil my food, mwahaha!

The tonkatsu was different from the one Debra ordered when we were with Taejin.  It was in a broth and topped with egg.  Delish!  *cleans the plate very well* :P

 

Mmm, yummy!  ^___^ 

Blue Ocean Sushi

6335 Delmar Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 63130

After we got back home, the kids wanted to go to Orange Leaf, the frozen yogurt place by Schnuck's. 

While we were all excited and sampling the flavors, Book sat on the orange couches playing with his iPhone.  Haha!  He looks like a little kid.

 

Josh and his froyo!

The kids deciding on toppings.  I think Josh is reaching for his wallet, not his butt ;) 

 Sean and Anna deciding~

They even have waffle bowls! :O

Haha, when I took this picture, Josh and Elaine adjusted themselves to pose, and Debra just kept eating :)

 Meanwhile, Book continues to sit in the corner like an emo kid. ^^''

Orange Leaf

6674 Clayton Road

Richmond Heights, MO

I can't say I blame him, seeing how St. Louis is the 5th saddest city in the United States, haha!  =___='' No wonder I'm always blubbering to my parents about this and that.  *sigh*  But after exams, I'm going home!!  Which means no more listening or being in the around unhappy arguments over nothing or whatever!! :D

Just as a side note, I wonder... if Nancy recognizes city 10?  :P  Guess who is from there???~~~  Hyu hyu!  ;)  Actually, I'm pretty sure she forgot, but oh well ^^

Chin up, Book!  Don't let the winter blues bring you down, kay? :3