Two of a kind.

Relatively recently, my fiancee was working at a conference at a hotel in the Woodley Park part of town. I was going to meet her after work, so this seemed like a perfect opportunity to hit up the awesome national zoo.

I checked out the new Asia Trail, disappointing. No animals anywhere. It was still kind of cold out and gray, so I suppose they were all in winter storage or something. Checked out the small mammals house, but more out of obligation than interest. I was lucky enough to catch the 3-toed sloth rocking out, eating stuff and moving around, which was incredible. Truly a hypnotic beast.

So I headed on into the the great ape building. The first thing to hit you in there is always the smell. I was digging the gorillas, not a lot of action, but it is awesome how big they are.

Hoping for a little more excitement, I walked across the hall to the orangutans. Good call, Tom. A jolly looking female was poking at some pieces of hay in the corner. She looked up when I approached, met my eyes, threw her hands up to the sky and lumbered over. With only the thick, clear, plastic between us, it felt like I was visiting a friend in prison.

A friend who promptly threw up at me. Upon reaching me, she spouted a huge glob of half-digested goop onto the see-through wall and ground. I was really proud, and felt honored to have been called upon to witness this personal moment so intimately. I have a picture of her right after she puked on my cellphone, but I can't figure out how to put it onto the computer.