Going to Ocean Park with Mom

A friend of mine had told me my mom could go to Ocean Park for free as a senior, and so could I on my birthday. We arrived late afternoon and headed straight to the giant pandas. We saw one of them eating bamboo, much closer than we had ever seen them during my childhood.

I have fond memories of riding the cable car, looking down at the seahorse logo of Ocean Park made with yellow banyan trees. The logo now looks faded, almost camouflaged on the hillside, brown on brown. Ocean Park is not as profitable as it once was, though the giant panda didn’t seem to mind.

I recall feeling nervous as a child riding the cable car over the steep hill. I wondered what I could possibly do if it stopped and left me suspended in mid-air. Mom enjoyed the ride. She wasn’t the least bit worried.

We stood for a while staring at the manta rays.

From time to time, they would swim perpendicular to the surface of the pool. They looked as if they were waving at us, and we would wave back.

The blue light of the aquarium was relaxing. Mom’s favorite exhibit was the panda. She had no trouble brushing her teeth later in the evening. I would call this outing a success.