Comprehending untamed backsides of Taipei zoo

Why did Tigger put his head down the toilet?

He was looking for Pooh.

My go-to joke, and, don't worry, profoundly appropriate for today's topic.  Taipei zoo is like a large, ecologically aware five-year-old. This in relation to the percentage of time spent discussing what you produce in the WC / bathroom / toilet / loo / restroom / washroom / *insert own word here* . 

Admire the pictures carefully

Its obsession with poop and anything toilet humour-related reached heights I did not know were socially acceptable for anyone older than the said five. All in the name of ecology, though, and I guess it was an entertaining way of educating them classes and classes of giddy Taiwanese school kids about, er Poo-wer.

On a related topic, Taipei zoo also obsessed about the bit of the body that created the said Poo-wer.

I doubt it was a coincidence.

One of my fave pics of the trip, taken by a confused English gentleman

I guess it is pretty good for the environment to make good use of the natural, obligatory waste of humans and animals alike.

In addition to bums and poop, Taipei zoo obsessed over pandas. Now this was the fame I knew the zoo for.

“Puzzles can be redone but protecting pandas can not,” as the poster stated with stark truth.

The pandas were cool but too lazy for my liking. The first time I walked past them I thought it was just the appetiser to the real thing (yeah no I don't mean to use restaurant vocab but you know what I mean...? Maybe.) No, the appetiser was the main course. But they were cute and all, yes.

Sleepybizzzzzzzze

I regret to say that cuddly toy pandas were probably a bigger highlight for me than the actual ones – I found a panda cafe, where I enjoyed a ridiculously overpriced fruity ice tea with a non-real panda. 

My date

I  felt like I'd just stopped off for my first tea break after escaping the mental hospital, but at least I kept myself entertained. The waitresses seemed used to crazy solo panda people, and obediently took excellent pictures of me and my new fuzzy pal.

like this romantic one

Obviously the two main themes of the zoo were handily merged together here: 

Panda loos

The zoo was full of other intriguing sights, too.

At the beginning of 'insect valley'... I ventured in no further

I'm not sure drizzle is a camel's favourite place to be

I love giraffes!!!!

Obviously the most beautiful ever souvenir shops RIGHTTTT?!?!?!

Elephant water tank - clever eh!? 

I had a delightful time wandering in the rain in my astonishingly sexy rain coat aka yellow bin bag from the local souvenir shop. I felt slightly out of place since I wasn’t Taiwanese and about the age of, erm, again, the said five. But at least I was dressed appropriately. It was great fun.

The rest of the guests

After the zoo I went on to a nearby attraction which was… a cable car. 

Also one of the most well-known Taipei attractions, the cable car to the village of Maokong, the Maokong Gondola. The views were cool though nothing near those of Ngong Ping in Hong Kong (also, the weather was less ideal).

Taipei 101 

Passing temples in the hills

‘Maokong’ means ‘no cat’ (or well, ‘catno’ to be precise), though slightly confusingly it is also called the Cat Village. (Though, even more confused edit: Wikipedia claims it means ‘cat sky’ which would actually be a whole lot more apt…) 

Cat sky would indeed be more appropriate

It was famous for its teashops which I didn’t have the time to sample as I was hanging out with my travel friend of the hour, Canadian E who enjoyed talking. (He was friendly and entertaining though, so no worries!) 

On the way back in a slightly eery cable car all to myself

If you like zoos, I can recommend Taipei Zoo. But I still don’t feel it’s a crazy Must-See. And save more time for Maokong. And maybe cut down on the cable cars.

www.toilettwinning.com if you’re into the original topic of this entry.

Till next time,

Toodles!

Emzy
xxxxxx