Finding Nemo. Finally.

I finally made it to Monterey Bay Aquarium! I have been dying to go there ever since I arrived in California last September. I was like a little kid, impatiently fidgeting in the back seat of the car the whole way there. We stopped along the way at a roadside market to pick up some cheap strawberries, cherries and tiny bananas as we knew the food was going to be super expensive at the Aquarium.

We needn't have worried. Whole Foods were having some kind of exposition that weekend so there were stalls all over the Aquarium giving out free samples of salted caramel ice cream, health drinks, kale chips, cheese, hummus, chocolate, all kinds of organic food! We ate well. I also got a $5 gift card for Whole Foods by answering a question on sustainable fishing in a competition! I felt very proud of myself.

The Aquarium has some of the most amazing exhibits. They have a 'Deep Sea' exhibit with sharks, tuna, big turtles, and rays, also a seahorse exhibit which I think was my favorite, two Jellyfish exhibits, one done in a 1970s retro style with quotes by Jimi Hendrix on the walls! They have the most crazy looking jellyfish I have ever seen. Some were shaped like tiny umbrellas from Mary Poppins, while others had flashing lights on the tentacles or would just pulse on the sand. Pictures speak a thousand words so I think this post will just be an array of fish pictures! Yes, the second picture is indeed a seahorse. Did you know that seahorses have this long, romantic, mating waltz that they do to impress each other? It looks like one of the dances off of Strictly Come Dancing/ Dancing with the Stars.

The number of kids I heard screaming "Look it's Crush!!" (from Finding Nemo) as a giant turtle swam past the window to the tank was pretty ridiculous. Though, I do love that movie and i'm sure if I was younger I would be screaming the same thing! Many small children creating havoc, and parents who have the worst parenting skills trying to wrangle them made for great entertainment at lunchtime. Again, I feel like my dad.

It was such a perfect day. We got in for free thanks to one of my friends being a member and having guest passes (that saves $40!), free food, gift vouchers, beautiful weather, perfect view of the feeding of the sea otters, I just love marine life. Monterey city itself is very cute and we spent some time walking down Cannery Row looking in all the shops and debating getting a Rocky Road caramel apple. We didn't on account of being so full from all the samples we had consumed!

Apart from that, this week has been all about the studying. It was the final college night on Wednesday though which was West African themed so we gorged ourselves on chicken, sweet potatoes, chocolate dipped strawberries  and peanut butter cookies, while listening to a West African band and playing Mancala. I am too competitive, and a little bit of a sore loser I am ashamed to say. However my skills at the drinking game, Chandelier, are rapidly improving.

This week I am hopefully going to Yosemite with some friends for a very quick visit! Some guy on a UCSC rec trip got lost there over the weekend. They came back without him on the Sunday, but the helicopters found him on Monday. 48hours alone in a wilderness where bears are pretty common. I am going to be sticking firmly to the trails.
Ok, I have to get back to my 25  paper on American Muslim women and their love lives. Yep. You heard. I find it very depressing that it is Memorial Weekend (Monday off!) and my plans are me, my laptop, coffee and the library.