Astral Nomads

One man, one woman, one rabbit......traveling with the stars.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Yes, We went to see Shamu

It was unavoidable, really. You can see the Sea World tower from the Dog Beach. oh yeah. (In a related note, my hit single At the Dog Beach is really catching on. The Astrals can't stop singing it.) Also, it was another perfect day in terms of weather. Sea World was pretty crowded but the Astrals managed to soldier through the experience. I guess those ocean-going mammals eat a lot of fish because the price tag on the enjoyment was many fins. Plus a charge for parking. Plus corporate sponsorship of exhibits. The connection between Southwest Airlines and penguins is entirely lost on me. So it goes....


But the landscaping was exquisite. There are so many blossoms in
San Diego that you don't really ever want to leave. Sleep my pretty, indeed.

In retrospect, I find myself relieved that I did not see this. If forced to
determine the seminal horror, I'd definitely go with the lipstick.

There was an elaborate show with dolphins...

...and people dressed as birds. It had a plot of sorts but I can't
say I really followed it...


This sea lion was in a deep meditation, ignoring fish tossed by tourists...

...and other sea lions swimming upside down.

Out by a quiet cove, this tree caught our eye.

Fresh water fish also have their moments.

Shark encounter.

Love the penguins!

These birds are really cool. They can swim underwater like fish.

And, of course, the Puffin.

Some of the penguins were outside. I guess they can stand the heat.

I wanted to take this guy home.

In the Arctic Exhibit there were polar bears...

...Beluga Whales..



...and a big ole Walrus.

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."*



Hey, what are you doing here? The sign clearly says SEA World!

And now for the star of our show: Shamu! There were five killer whales so I don't know which one is Shamu or even if Shamu is still around. In a sense, they're all Shamu to me. I did notice that the trainers no longer go in the water with the mighty orca, possibly because of that unfortunate incident in Florida last year. Just as well, I was not in the mood for carnage.

The crowd goes wild every time.

Amazing. These guys eat 250 lbs. of fish a day.

I'd be running too.

Cute...and deadly.

The always popular tail splash. 

Aww....

More wasabi and pickled ginger, please.

The roller coaster/flume ride that we never made it to. We were 
trying to get our money's worth but we just ran out of steam.

2 comments:

  1. I loved all the photos! I've never been to Sea World but always wanted too! Guess now that you've given me the run down I'll have to go!!!

    Just here to welcome you to the A to Z blogging challenge! I'm a co-host, should you have questions don't hesitate to ask! I know we're on day 2 but you are already rockin' it out! I do hope you'll stop by and say hello! We are also having fun on twitter (I'm @jenunedited and we're at #atozchallenge)!

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  2. @Jen: Thanks, I'll have to think of something for the Letter C. Since we're going hiking on the Cliffs today and doing some Climbing, that should be easy, I suspect.

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