Let's Hippo Everyone

that guy was talking about seeing the unseen. But it wasn't about "Can you see the wind... its presence is revealed by the leaves on a tree" kind of vision. (anyway i can't put away the 'vision' of him wearing bell bottom pants!) the fact that everybody was excited about his talk, however, was enough to make me grounded. I respect him.

During his talking, i thought of the little girl i met near hippo pool the day before. I was expecting the hippo would emerge, take some breath, and make some noise or drag the branch down to the pool. one minute. the hippo din move. two minutes. he--or was it she?--only opened his jaw a bit. so i tried a different angle.

a voice came behind my left shoulder. "Have you seen it?"



my head lowered. it was a Fendi-veiled little girl. "Oh you fashionable kid!" i said in my head.

"Ah yes but he doesn't want to show up apparently," i said. "Or perhaps he's shy."

She nodded and continued her talking and all i did was examining her Fendi monogram veil. Where did she get it? and i got to know that her parents were just 10 steps away and keeping an eye on us--or me particularly. I got uncomfortable being 'inspected'


this chillun (her manner reminds me of Harper Lee's li'l heroine) kept talking. "He opened his long mouth! I saw it!" she was so convincing.

i asked, how long? just to see how well she was at her basic biology--if there is any at her school

"thirty meters! it's big. i saw it!"

my jaw dropped and my eyes heavenward, seeing the big, long, oversized, smelly snout...

While staring at the snout (I mean sky), i couldn't keep track of her fantasy. She talked and talked and suddenly when I was about to give a nod, she turned her back and joined her family eating Popmie.

I decided to encircle the cage. it was like 30 x 30 m wide, surrounded by smelly green water. all i was thinking was, this cage only fits his mouth!

(Ragunan Zoo has about four Nile hippos and two pygmy hippos. All came from the continent of Africa.)