Day 59: The Animals and Me

As I said before, I'm comenting on some of my most recent experiences, and one of them was the opportunity to enter "Toca-Mascota" ('Touch-a-pet'), in Plaza Polanco mall.

I'm not going to extend on the bad things I got to see there (that's what 'Planeta Quejas' stands for), but on the facts that I found most relevant or amusing.

First of all, I found it kind of touching that my 6-year-old niece, who usually behaves like a brat (and don't mean the dolls by any chance), was so enthusiastic about inviting me in. I had already been planning to ask her for that favor, since adults are not allowed in without invitation, but the idea came totally from her. I guess it's because I'm the only one in the family as crazy for pets as she is, and she knows it.

When you enter the facility, which reminds me of a gigantic fishbowl with a bench in it, you are told to rub your hands with some sort of disinfectant, to prevent animals from getting any disease. But I guess it must contain a certain amount of alcohol because, when I was holding a ferret, it started enthusiastically to lick my hands. Funny thing was it didn't stop there, 'cause it climbed up my arm, made itself comfortable at my shoulder and started licking my chin. Some people will say this is disgusting, but I was having a very good time.

Later on, I had the chance to hold a phyton boa. It felt like a plastic hose full of cool oil, and its skin was very soft and smooth. Contrary to their usual behavior, this one was rather lively, slithering its way up my arms and, when I hold it in front of my face to take a good look at its head, it touched the tip of my nose with its tongue, which I found really surprising, because it was really soft and delicate.

Finally, they lent me a chinchilla, which is some sort of super-sized mouse. I've never touched anything that soft ever in my life. It's almost impossible to describe. Like fluffy velvet, I think. Unfortunately, the chinchilla wasn't having as good a time as me, 'cause it was pretty frightened and nervous, especially after my niece tried to put it on its back. But since I have a little experience dealing with scaredy cats, I was able to calm it a little bit down and enjoy the pleasure of its amazingly soft fur.

I wish this kind of experiences were available to adults as well. The ability to wonder is not exclusive of children, for me at least, and I would love to have more chances to experience the unknown. I really enjoyed this experience, and my inner child had good chance to share a good moment with my niece.