Pretoria Zoo - Early May 2011

Mother's day happened to come swinging by and we decided to go to the Pretoria zoo to do some swinging of our own! (And you know I don't mean THAT kind of swinging!! - That's for another blog!)

Here was our chariot going up the cable cart at the zoo! They were alternatively green and red and 100% given over to advertising and merchandizing! It was a max of 4 people to a boat, so two of us went in the first and three in the second. I wonder if they kick up a ruckus if the 4 people were ever, say, really, really big lads, who'd been into their chocolate and gravy too much?

Off we go!! The start reminds me of the start to roller-coasters, halting and jaunty and then you start going up and up and up! Luckily we didn't have any plummeting sensation or this blog would have had to have been done from a hospital bed as I pushed the keyboard with a pen between me gnashers! (Teeth)

They were having a mini show of ye olden day type cars. I liked the garish, 'Ah-my-eyes' colours! Imagine owning that bright green one? Or the orange one? You might forget where you parked but every airplane in a 4 mile radius won't!


Here's an empty cart coming back the opposite way. Gives you almost an ominous thought of, "What happened to the people inside?!" I was saying maybe there's a canning factory at the top! It makes franks and beans - 100% pork - well mostly....
Mind the lion and tiger enclosures are at the top of the hill so install a trap door at the bottom of the ride and hey presto, zoo saves a fortune on feeding!

It's really rather picturesque! Each time we went past one of those pillions the cart would shake in a very satisfying way that tended to remind you how high up and helpless you are!


Here' we're heading back down! I love the way this blokes hand is positioned, almost like he's pushing off the cart, trying to hold back tears, "Go my child! Go free!!"


The Pretoria sky line. Not, I'll admit, a ravishing sight of city and nature in perfect harmony, but still rather interesting to look at underneath that fine fluffy layer of smog!

I tried to take pics from the cart but it wasn't very easy and I ended up with some lovely smears and vague things that could be animals, could be bananas. I did get this one though! Isn't the wee baby cute? And yes, that would be our shadow passing by, like a full metal angel!


Our other three cohorts in the boat in front of us. Enjoying the ride ALMOST as much as we were!

Now tell me you don't want to go for a ride as well?!