Day 75: Bugs & Fish

Location: Victoria, British Columbia

We picked up a few bagels at the local Blenz this morning on our way to the Undersea Gardens.  We were both underwhelmed by the experience.  It wasn’t really an aquarium, just a set of stairs that go down to the harbor floor and show you the type of marine life that live there.  There were a few octopuses (apparently octopi isn’t correct) and some nice sea stars, but it was generally boring and uninspiring.

From the Undersea Gardens, we drove the short distance to the Bug Zoo.  I love bugs, so I was excited to go.  Julia, meanwhile, hates bugs, and was not excited at all.  When we got there, we looked at the exhibits of different species of insects while the tour guide talked to a bunch of kids that were there.  It was my goal to get Julia to hold some bugs, and the tour guide delivered.  She held a hissing cockroach, some sort of leaf insect, a tarantula, a scorpion, a walking stick and some other mysterious insect.  She wasn’t thrilled with the idea of holding the tarantula or the scorpion, but kept her composure and felt good about the experience afterward.

After the Bug Zoo, we brought Data back to the off-leash waterfront area to play.  He met a cute golden retriever and yellow lab mix and a few other dogs that he was able to run around with until the point of complete exhaustion.

Now, we are sitting in a Serious Coffee.  We will get dinner in a few minutes and then catch the 9 p.m. ferry back to Tsawwassen and drive from there back to Redmond.

Here are some photos from today.  Click “there’s more to this” to see them all.

A fish at the Undersea Gardens.

Insects at the Bug Zoo.  I should have paid attention to the species.

More from the Bug Zoo.

Julia holding a big green bug.

Julia, a tarantula and the most forced smile in history.

Julia holding an emperor scorpion.

The friendly tarantula Julia had been holding.