Our long awaited summer vacations had started. The tiredness of the exams and the hard work exerted, had made a toll on us. Even though I was too happy, there is something I hate about summer vacations, it’s the climate. It’s so hot! Two weeks passed since our vacations started and I started feeling a bit bored. One day I was sitting on the sofa thinking what prank to play on the other members of the family, my uncle walked in. He asked me, “Nakul, would you like to visit a zoo?”

My joy knew no bounds and I jumped out and got ready in a jiffy! We boarded the bus and reached the zoo in an hour. To enter the zoo, we needed to take an entry ticket. Beside the ticket counter was an ice- cream shop. My uncle spared a moment to buy me a chocolate ice- cream; I wish he had bought a stick ice- cream, rather than a cup ice- cream so that I don’t litter the place. This made me think if I am still a baby!!!Anyways something is better than nothing. As we entered the zoo, I could hear the chirping of birds. We saw that the branches of some of the trees touched the ground. I could see various birds perched on these trees. There were birds like pelicans, nightingales, peacocks, owls etc. For the first time I saw a white peacock, the sight was fascinating. Then we moved on to the place where reptiles were kept. There were snakes like pythons, vipers etc. I also saw a king cobra with its hood up. There were also big frogs, lizards; that were double the size of what I’ve seen at home.

There was a pond with a low wall where there were crocodiles and alligators separated by a wall. I’ve seen crocodiles with their mouths open only on the National Geographical channel. Lo and behold! Here I am seeing a real crocodile with its mouth wide open. Wow! It was most probably the first and the last time that I am seeing such a sight. I wanted to take a snap, but photography was prohibited in the zoo. Oh! How I wished I could take just one snap. As though reading my mind, my uncle old me that taking photos were not allowed to maintain the peace and tranquility of the place and also not to disturb the animals. Then we moved on to the animals section. There were lions, tigers, rhinos, giraffes and a mal nutritioned camel. It seemed as though it would end its life any moment. There was also an African elephant and many more animals in the zoo. Finally, it was time to leave. I wish I could spend some more time. But time mattered, so like a good boy, without any fuss we left the zoo. On our way back my uncle asked me, “Which section did you like the most?” I didn’t think a moment and said, “Reptiles.” As I sat in the window seat I realized that my mouth also was open like that of the crocodile that was because my mind was still in the zoo. It was a good experience and here I am sharing it with you all. I think everyone should visit a zoo.