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.All Trips / Asia / Dubai
Visiting the Al Ain Zoo
I never expected to find a pretty and interesting family-oriented zoo in the middle of the desert, and was pleasantly surprised by my visit to this fine zoo in the city of Al Ain, about an hour inland from Dubai.
The Al Ain Zoo is home to over 4,000 animals, 30% of its 180 species considered endangered. The zoo is spacious (990 acres) and like most modern zoos has enclosures designed to resemble the animal’s natural habitat. Special demonstrations are held at certain times and activities like a petting zoo, giraffe feeding and camel riding let people interact with some of the animals.
The zoo has a large African animal section and offers “safaris” to explore wildlife like lions, giraffes, zebras and …
Tagged Al Ain, conservation, U.A.E., Zoo
.All Trips / California / North America / Southwestern USA
The Living Desert Wildlife and Botanical Park
Unless you’ve driven across them, it’s hard to comprehend how vast the deserts of the American Southwest are. While at first glance the region seems nearly lifeless, it’s rich in a diverse variety of hardy plant and animal life. An excellent way to see this assortment of desert life is to stop everywhere and explore. A much easier and more convenient way is to visit a botanical garden which, while not a perfect experience, is highly educational. A place I’d recommend is the Living Desert, located in Palm Desert, California (very near Palm Springs), which provides a one-stop chance to explore the flora and fauna of America’s deserts –with an African sampler to boot!
Giraffes, Living Desert Museum
The Living Desert occupies …
Tagged garden, Living Desert, Palm Desert, wildlife, Zoo
.All Trips / California / North America / Southwestern USA
San Diego, California: A Day at the Zoo
Among my fondest memories as a child are family visits to the zoo. I was fascinated by it all! The sights, the sounds, the smells, the people, and especially by the exotic animals. It seemed a grand adventure and I think may have helped germinate the traveler seed in me — I wanted to see these animals in the places they’d come from.
I’ve since visited many of these animals in their homelands over the years, and as I’ve grown older my perspectives on zoos have changed somewhat, especially after seeing some terrible ones in poorer nations where animals are kept in little more than small square cages (prisons really). I’ve developed a great empathy for these captive animals and believe …
Tagged animals, Balboa Park, California, San Diego Zoo, Zoo
.All Trips / Asia / Singapore
The island metropolis of Singapore
Except for the stifling humidity, steamy heat and admixture of tropical rain-forest, Singapore will remind you more of Chicago or New York than most Asian cities. Its skyline is as packed with modern skyscrapers as its roads are with cars and scooters. And this small island nation (actually comprised of 63 islands but with one main one) is crowed, having the second highest population density in the world. It’s located less than a hundred miles north of the equator.
Singapore provides a textbook lesson in how a poor fishing nation can emerge as one of the most prosperous countries in the world, a leader in international trade and finance with an educated and efficient workforce. It’s a testament to how free market enterprise can work efficiently and generate wealth for its citizens (Singapore has …
