Where're you going to see lions

[austin_dern]

On the bus I had yet another conversation with no idea what the heck I was talking about. A man and his son sat by me, and the son compared our arms ... he seemed amazed by my size, whiteness, and beard. The man talked genially but not quite louder than the engine noise. I think we talked about the nation's racial harmony, how I look Indian (many people resembling me turn up in Bollywood movies), that salaries in Australia are more -- or maybe less -- complicated than those in Singapore (?), and we were all smiling when they got off the bus. I understood one question clearly, and gave a good answer: ``Oh, yes, the wages here are much better than those overseas -- I didn't have a job offer overseas.'' (Mind, I didn't look, as I had this job offer before finishing my Ph.D.)

Bugis Junction had a ``Foods of Asia'' festival, offering the chance to try culinary delights of the Asia-Pacific region. You can hardly avoid this selection in any hawker center anyway, but it's the festivity that counts. Also in the Junction was a tourist promotion urging people to ``Come to Melaka,'' in Malaysia, though the attractions looked routine ... shopping, modern hotels, the zoo, OK, they have a Malayan sun bear (so does the Singapore Zoo), tiger (ditto), okapi (ditto), red panda -- oh, there's something new. It's not too far away, at that.

No sign of Star Trek, but Rocky and Bullwinkle Season 2 -- also released Tuesday -- is in HMV. I'll wait to hear whether it's bug-free.

Trivia: Union County, New Jersey, was formed by seceding from Essex County 18 March, 1857. Source: This Is New Jersey, John T Cunningham.

Currently Reading: Hijacking Enigma: The Insider's Tale, Christine Large.

Comments

[porsupah.livejournal.com]

There's panda bait if ever I saw it. ^_^

I'll admit, I spent rather more of my time in Melaka being lost than actively in a state of really being somewhere. (Although one could make a good case for that generally)

I wonder where the zoo actually is? Perhaps it sprung up after I was there, or simply its absence from the Rough Guide didn't suggest that I should seek one out.

Of course, if you do wander up that way, and it transpires you're able to actually touch or hold a red panda, I'd be just a tiny bit envious. ^_^ (Ah, to have the means to set up a red panda reserve somewhere..)

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

I thought that might rouse your interest.

Anyway, according to its less than imposing web presence (http://www.melaka.net/zoomelaka/) they're about 13 km outside Melaka, the City, so perhaps it's fairly easy to overlook. (RM$5.00 for admission? That's not even getting outside of pocket change.) But I don't see on the short map there where the red pandas might fit, except maybe under ``Small Carnivores'' or ``Small Mammals.'' Or, possibly, ``Pet Corner'' ...