Chapter 84 - LET'S GO THERE TOGETHER
"Oh, this reminds me of my Australia visit when I was six! I collected some gold stones together with mom and big brother Yuan," Han Luo recollected the event.
Mo Yuan was surprised but then smiled. He asked, "Do you miss Australia? We can always go there again."
Han Luo grinned. "Really? Will you go with me?" She seemed to forget that she wasn't talking to Mo Yuan.
"Why wouldn't I?" If he could, Mo Yuan would take her there right away.
London Zoo's first aquarium was also the world's first public aquarium. The aquarium was separated into three halls, each home to different types of fish and other aquatic wildlife.
Animal Adventure is an area especially made for children, featuring playgrounds and a water fountain. Han Luo and her big brothers were not children anymore and so they weren't allowed to play there. The girl whined, "That's not fair. I want to become a child again."
One of London Zoo's most well-known buildings – the Reptile House – has several species of reptiles, including Jamaican boa, Philippine crocodiles, western diamondback rattlesnakes, Annam leaf turtles, Fiji banded iguanas, Northern caiman lizards, puff adders, king cobras, tokay geckos, emerald tree boas and Yemen chameleons.
Giants of the Galápagos is home to three female Galápagos giant tortoises. Han Sheng Ming pointed a finger at them. "Their names are, "Dolly, Polly, and Priscilla."
Han Luo was amazed. "Wow! Big brother Ming, you even remember their names! Amazing!"
He replied, "Because I like them very much. Aren't they cute?"
"They are!" she sang.
Later, they went to London Zoo's Komodo dragon. Han Sheng Ming declared boastfully, "This enclosure used to own two Komodo dragons, a female named Rinka and a male named Raja. A new male dragon called Ganas moved to London in 2015 after the previous dragons sadly died."
"Oh, I wish I could see them," Han Luo said with a look of awe on her face. She looked at the male dragon curiously.
Mo Yuan also knew more about the zoo. He continued, "Their enclosure is designed to resemble the dragon's natural habitat of a dry river bed, so sounds of Indonesian birds are regularly played into the enclosure."
Han Luo asked, "Big brother Yuan, have you seen a real dragon's habitat?"
"I read about it in a book," Mo Yuan replied truthfully, "but I want to see a real dragon habitat. Komodo dragons live on only five islands in southeastern Indonesia: Indonesia's four islands within Komodo National Park – Komodo, Rinca, Gili Montang, Gili Dasami – and the island of Flores. The islands are volcanic in origin, rugged and hilly, and covered with both forest and savanna grassland." He glanced at her and asked, "Do you want to go there?"
"Yes!" Han Luo vigorously nodded.
Mo Yuan chuckled. "I'll take you there. Though, keep it a secret from Xiao Ming and Xiao Yujin."
"I will!" Han Luo put her index finger on her lips – she wasn't going to tell a soul.
B.U.G.S is held in a building called The Millennium Conservation Centre. The building displays over 140 species, the majority of which are invertebrates.
"I don't like this place…" Ha Luo frowned. The very sight of the bugs made the girl shiver in fear. She imagined thousands of bugs crawling on her skin. It truly frightened her.
Penguin Beach is available on a public hire basis for events outside the zoo's normal opening hours. Han Luo looked at the penguins. "Aww! I love penguins." Her eyes sparkled with red hearts. She was a diehard fan for penguins.
In with the Lemurs is a walk-through exhibit housing a group of ring-tailed lemurs. The exhibit is designed to resemble a shrub forest in Madagascar, featuring plant life such as loquat and Chusan palm trees.
Meet the Monkeys is a walk-through enclosure that houses a troop of black-capped squirrel monkeys. The exhibit has no roof, and there are no boundaries between the monkeys and the visitors.
"Look there!" Han Luo excitedly pointed at two monkeys chasing each other. The people around the monkeys were also very curious yet entertained at the sight. One of the monkeys suddenly then scurried up to Han Luo and stared at her.
"Seems like it likes you," Han Sheng Ming laughed.
They then went to the Butterfly Paradise which houses several different species of butterfly and moth from around the world, as well as plant species specially selected to provide nectar and breeding areas for the insects.
"Butterflies! So pretty!" Han Luo wished she could chase the butterflies, just how she used to love to do during her childhood. But she knew she wasn't allowed to do so in here.
Mo Yuan could understand her feelings. He said, "We have butterflies in my garden. Next time you visit, you can chase them all you want."
"Thank you so much, big brother Yuan!" Han Luo exclaimed.
Han Sheng Ming gave his friend a wary look. He didn't want Han Luo to go to Mo Yuan's house often. But he had to admit that Mo Yuan's area was bigger than Han Luo and Tang Yujin's area. Most certainly, Han Luo would want to go to Mo Yuan's house because of the garden and lake.
There are also African Bird Safari, the Snowdon Aviary, and the Blackburn Pavilion – a rainforest-themed tropical bird aviary in the zoo.
When they had finally finished looking around, lunchtime had already passed. They had eaten snacks, so they weren't too hungry. The boys took Han Luo to the souvenir shop. Tang Yujin bought a stuffed panda backpack, Han Sheng Ming bought a dolphin key ring and Mo Yuan bought a stuffed penguin for Han Luo – the girl was most definitely over the moon.
When they were walking out of the zoo, many people were still going in. That's when Han Luo suddenly bumped into a girl and immediately apologized for it. When she didn't hear a reply, she raised her head and saw a blonde girl with pale skin, pink lips, a sharp nose, and black eyes.
The blonde girl slightly resembled a Japanese girl; she was half English and half Japanese. She was a beautiful girl around Han Luo's age. She was wearing a green dress and her hair was hanging on her left shoulder.. Her very appearance looked like a fairy from a picture book.