Close Encounters

A laid-back and lazy Friday night means the Saturday gets a late start. So did the Saturday on the 17th of February. H got up and got ready as per our plan of meeting at 10 and then shooting off to Knowsley Safari and I actually turned up at 10 past 12. Should have reached a lot earlier but missing a right turn cost me fifteen minutes and left me roaming around the complex streets of Liverpool. When I was at H's doorstep, the sun decided to hide away for a while. This was not good as he was shining away brightly when I was tucked in a cardigan which I so wanted to get rid off as it was getting really hot in the car. H arrived and we started the 24 minute drive to Knowsley.

So here we arrive, I know what to expect cause this is my fourth time. But H was seeing it for the first time. The entry ticket was 16£ for an adult. The ticket counter was slightly downhill and the car decided to roll down just when I decided to take my feet off the clutch and get some rest. No sooner did I close an eye that H informed that "Your car is rolling forward" and I woke up startled and quickly rushed to deal with the situation before the passengers in the front car start filing Whiplash injury claims. This was just the start for H before more of my great driving skills were put to display.

Ok, now we actually enter the safari and there were Antelopes and Ostriches to welcome us. Next came the enclosure of Richard Parker. He did not make an appearance as it was too cold for him. While in summer he is always busy napping. I never got to see him active in all my 5 trips. Next were foxes and then we approached the 10 MPH zone and there were warning signs to properly lock our doors and not to lower the windows. I knew why, but H got really excited when she learnt that she was in the Big Boy zone. I expected to see a large group of them sat at one place and not giving a damn about all the attention given to them. But man, they actually gave us a proper show this time.

There was this hill that we were supposed to ascend. Hill-starts are always a nightmare to me. But this time I managed well. But the lady in front of me din't move for 10 minutes and I needed to rest my feet. So again I put the hand brake on, set the gear to neutral and took my feet of the clutch and decided to rest. H now announced that we were rolling back. Had to deal with the situation before we stopped (this time properly) and had a great laugh.

Right after the lion zone,  there was another danger zone. This time it was the baboons. I really din't wish to take the car-friendly route but I dint want to disappoint H. I entered the zone praying that none of them wreck my car. But this one took fancy to the mini mouse ball that was stuck to the radio antennae on my car. This one jumped onto the windscreen  left a mark on it. But thank god, that was the only thing we had to put up with. I did not like that Mini-Mouse Blob sticking out on top of the car anyway. Thanks to the Baboon I got rid of it effortlessly. They try their best to sneak out along with the cars but the Zoo-Keepers know how to get them back in.

To end the comfortable Safari, we drove past the remaining harmless animals like this one.Kids were actually taking kisses of this one. We parked the car outside the safari drive-zone and H bought some stuff from the shops. We caught a kid chasing this beautiful peacock. He was just hell-bent to get hold of it. His mum evaded his evil intentions though. And everyone around stopped by to have a good laugh at the kid's expense but he was too young to take notice cause he was merely 2.

Well that almost sums up our Knowsley experience. It was still very cold but overall it was a great day after about 3 months of harsh winter.