Today was the most relaxed day of the trip so far (or "chillaxed" as I heard some young folks saying in Yosemite). After another fine continental breakfast -- this time from Howard Johnson -- I headed over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The design of the aquarium is very interesting; but, I found the exhibits to be a little lacking compared to what I've seen at Long Beach (my favorite), Charleston, and Chicago. I love otters, so I was excited to see their extensive otter display, but even this was a little disappointing. The highlight had to be the various displays of jellyfish. They do a great job of showcasing the animals in unique displays and with great lighting. Presentation is really this aquarium's strength.
I also attended a brief presentation discussing jellyfish, which was pretty interesting. The only problem -- and this applies to this aquarium in general -- it was a little too child-oriented.
Almost all of the questions came from kids, such as "What's the biggest jellyfish?", "How old is the oldest jellyfish?" and "What's the most poisonous jellyfish?" I guess that's what I get for going on a weekend. Turns out the answer to that last question is the Box Jellyfish of Australia, which carries enough venom to kill 32 people. I only wish Karl Pilkington had been there to ask, "What's he so mad about?" On that same note, I wish I could've found an "educator" to explain to me why Octopuses are always trying to get into jars.Of course, the most ridiculous behavior I saw came from an adult. One woman was actually tapping on the glass of the jellyfish tank. Now, I have to ask: just what was she expecting? It's annoying enough when people tap the glass of a fish tank; but, at least you know that they're trying to get the fish to look at them. A jellyfish has no eyes. What's it going to do? There was also the man who was ahead of me in line to check out in the cafeteria who, after learning that there were no drink cup lids or straws for environment reasons, blurted out, "Save the fish!" and then laughed and glanced over at me as if A.) he had made a joke and B.) it was OK for him to look at me.
I also happened to be standing next to a tall nerd and his wife and kids for a while. For a minute I thought I had stepped into a time machine. I could totally see that being me in ten years, explaining to my 7 year-old kids the mating cycle of a parrotfish. Honestly, it doesn't sound that bad. Although, this was not nearly as sweet as the last time I traveled through time and saw an overweight white guy and a persian guy rolling through Beverly Hills in a Benz, puffing on cigars (obviously, Future Rashad and Future Kevin, grown fat with success).
I ended up leaving the aquarium sooner than I had planned and decided to wander around Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf. It's a really beautiful area down there, even if it is basically a tourist trap. I could see it being a nice place to retire. At the end of the pier at Cannery Row there was a big group of Sea Lions sunning themselves on the rocks. Frankly, that was cooler than anything I saw at the aquarium. I never realized just how noisy these animals are! They're also pretty fun to watch. Some of them just kind of laze around, while others playfully swim and duck in and out of the kelp.
Next, I drove down to Fisherman's Wharf, where I walked into a couple of the places offering whale watching tours. I decided to sign up for one tomorrow morning. I'm pretty excited: I've never seen a whale and this is something I've always wanted to do. They say they spot whales 95% of the time, so I'm feeling pretty good about it. It sounds like we'll probably see some Humpbacks, but there could be an outside chance of seeing an Orca or a Blue Whale. That'd really be something if I saw the largest plant on Earth and the largest animal, all within a week.
I headed back to the hotel early to kind of rest up. I'm having a great time so far, but I needed a couple hours to kind of chillax. Plus, the Sopranos series finale is tonight.
Tomorrow, I'm picking up Agent Orange from the airport in San Francisco and it'll be time to begin the trip's Bravo Leg with a couple of days sightseeing in S.F., which according to many of my friends is pretty much the best place on Earth.
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