Thirty seconds after we started walking the path we found a very "chi" pond. There were several bright orange coy swimming about in their pond, surrounded by natural stones and enjoying the waterfall that emptied into their sanctuary. After a quick photo shoot, we continued down the path through a tunnel of vines, waited for a few other visitors to take pictures, took some pictures of our own, exited the tunnel, and entered Japan. We were greeted by a Japanese-style structure reminiscent of lincoln logs, only this one was twice my size, made of stone, and absolutely beautiful. Once past the structure that marked our entrance to Japan, we strolled into a forest of bamboo. I learned two things here: the first, bamboo really is very pretty; the second, bamboo is a mosquito magnet. I have never been surrounded by so many mosquitoes - and I'm from Florida. They were everywhere. I swatted them away with a constant flailing of my arms, but there was no escape. They nestled in my hair, had a picnic on my neck, and swarmed around me like a trailers in a Kansas tornado until I finally fled the scene. I've decided that bamboo gardens are nice on the eyes but maybe not worth the risk.
Our next destination was a rain forest, which had fewer mosquitoes than the mini Japan. We walked over moist dirt paths, saw an incredible display of blossoming flowers, and took a thousand postcard-worthy pictures. I strolled across a wooden bridge and decided that would be a nice place to stop and take a picture. As luck would have it, I stopped about 2 inches before I would have walked through the beginning of a spider web. I knelt down to get a better view of the busy spider carefully weaving her web. Back and forth, back and forth she went. So hurriedly, yet so meticulously she designed the perfect insect trap. We carefully ducked under the web and continued on our journey. Then, as you may have predicted, two careless wanderers followed and completely destroyed our spider's hard earned home. That's life in the tropics, I suppose.
Next stop - the desert. It's quite difficult to imagine that in just a couple seconds one can go from a mosquito-filled rain forest, full of blooming flowers and butterflies, criss-crossed by wet dirt trails and an abundance of greenery to a barren dessert filled with dry, dusty pebbles and cactus plants. For me, however, it is no longer hard to imagine since I did just that only a few hours ago. After a short walk we arrived at the desert section of our botanical garden. There was a glass box with an array of different cactus species. Smushing my face and hands against the glass for a better view, I saw what looked like a cactus buffet. I had no idea that there were so many kinds of cacti. I crossed the pebble path, enjoyed the sound my shoes made with each step they took over the tiny stones, and continued to experience the desert. All of a sudden, the formerly oblivious me realized that I was suddenly in the middle of a swarm of wasps. How do I get myself into these situations, I wondered. Fortunately, they allowed me to slowly back away from the hive without causing me harm. I promptly left the desert.
Our final stop - Japan. But real Japan, not a bamboo garden. This was by far my favorite part of our excursion. Of course, we took a wrong turn, walked down a path intended to be used by maintenance workers, emerged from the brush and saw a magnificent Japanese home. In awe, I walked to the front, read and respected the sign politely requesting that I remove my shoes, and walked into an old-fashioned Japanese home. Made entirely of wood and bamboo, this home convinced me that my next home should in 1800's Japan. I even considered buying a katana and taking up the study of Ken-Jitsu. The home had only 3 small rooms and no kitchen, so I assume that it was meant only to give the idea of old-fashioned Japan rather than serve as an actual replica. The floor creaked as I stepped on each floorboard and made my way to the back. A perfectly manicured landscape, complete with a pebble floor and a statue, awaited me. I sat on the Japanese-style chair (a cushion placed on the floor) and took in the beauty of the house and the backyard. I looked at the Japanese lettering on the walls and decided that Japanese will be the next language I learn. Eventually we went back the front, put our shoes back on, and left our little corner of ancient Japan.
Even as our trip wound down we continued to find a never-ending supply of beautiful things to photograph. A perfect flower here, a unique tree there, a never-before-seen bug flying that way. We walked down one more trail, took our final pictures and hopped back into the car. It was a great way to spend a couple hours.
Our next destination was a rain forest, which had fewer mosquitoes than the mini Japan. We walked over moist dirt paths, saw an incredible display of blossoming flowers, and took a thousand postcard-worthy pictures. I strolled across a wooden bridge and decided that would be a nice place to stop and take a picture. As luck would have it, I stopped about 2 inches before I would have walked through the beginning of a spider web. I knelt down to get a better view of the busy spider carefully weaving her web. Back and forth, back and forth she went. So hurriedly, yet so meticulously she designed the perfect insect trap. We carefully ducked under the web and continued on our journey. Then, as you may have predicted, two careless wanderers followed and completely destroyed our spider's hard earned home. That's life in the tropics, I suppose.
Next stop - the desert. It's quite difficult to imagine that in just a couple seconds one can go from a mosquito-filled rain forest, full of blooming flowers and butterflies, criss-crossed by wet dirt trails and an abundance of greenery to a barren dessert filled with dry, dusty pebbles and cactus plants. For me, however, it is no longer hard to imagine since I did just that only a few hours ago. After a short walk we arrived at the desert section of our botanical garden. There was a glass box with an array of different cactus species. Smushing my face and hands against the glass for a better view, I saw what looked like a cactus buffet. I had no idea that there were so many kinds of cacti. I crossed the pebble path, enjoyed the sound my shoes made with each step they took over the tiny stones, and continued to experience the desert. All of a sudden, the formerly oblivious me realized that I was suddenly in the middle of a swarm of wasps. How do I get myself into these situations, I wondered. Fortunately, they allowed me to slowly back away from the hive without causing me harm. I promptly left the desert.
Our final stop - Japan. But real Japan, not a bamboo garden. This was by far my favorite part of our excursion. Of course, we took a wrong turn, walked down a path intended to be used by maintenance workers, emerged from the brush and saw a magnificent Japanese home. In awe, I walked to the front, read and respected the sign politely requesting that I remove my shoes, and walked into an old-fashioned Japanese home. Made entirely of wood and bamboo, this home convinced me that my next home should in 1800's Japan. I even considered buying a katana and taking up the study of Ken-Jitsu. The home had only 3 small rooms and no kitchen, so I assume that it was meant only to give the idea of old-fashioned Japan rather than serve as an actual replica. The floor creaked as I stepped on each floorboard and made my way to the back. A perfectly manicured landscape, complete with a pebble floor and a statue, awaited me. I sat on the Japanese-style chair (a cushion placed on the floor) and took in the beauty of the house and the backyard. I looked at the Japanese lettering on the walls and decided that Japanese will be the next language I learn. Eventually we went back the front, put our shoes back on, and left our little corner of ancient Japan.
Even as our trip wound down we continued to find a never-ending supply of beautiful things to photograph. A perfect flower here, a unique tree there, a never-before-seen bug flying that way. We walked down one more trail, took our final pictures and hopped back into the car. It was a great way to spend a couple hours.
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