Orchids

Yesterday I showed you a little teaser of where my mother and I went on Saturday. As my father was away for the weekend, we had the use of the car and we decided to go to the Orchid Farm. It started off years ago as a farm where they farmed orchids, but then they decided to sell them, then show them, they added a butterfly garden and more and more was added. 

The first part we got to see was the orchid bit, where orchids were everywhere, in pots, in tree trunks, clinging to tree bark. The most beautiful ones. With tiny flowers or with the bigger flowers. There was water flowing and in that water were goldfish and turtles aplenty. 

But, going through one gate, we got to a similar part with monkeys. Well, one type of tiny monkey, the white-lipped tamarin. And they had the run of the place as well! Plenty of flowers, small banana trees, flowing water. I bet there aren't that many zoos with such an environment. They weren't bothered by the humans passing through and taking photos either. They just did their own thing.

We continued on our way. Admiring orchids and other (house) plants along the way, we got to the rainbow lorikeet enclosure and what a noisy bunch they were! Because we could feed them (with approved juice), they weren't afraid of people at all, happily sitting on hands and fingers to drink or on heads and shoulders. 

We finally arrived at the butterfly zone. Plenty of beautiful butterflies, albeit very difficult to 'catch'. On occasion one of them would sit still, but they would invariably have their wings closed. *Sigh* Then my mum 'caught' not one, but two. Both had just emerged from their cocoons and were still a bit drowsy I guess.

One landed on my mother's shoulder, the other on her knee. But as we were wanting a bite to eat, she had to get rid of them. I gently put my finger underneath one and it stepped on no problem. I moved it to a nearby bush where it sat. The second one was already a bit more 'with it', as it grabbed my finger quite well and as I moved to put it onto the same bush, it flew off.

As we entered the food area we were both amazed: flowers dangling from the ceiling everywhere. I called it a floating garden on Facebook, but I should have said hanging or hovering garden really. It was quite fantastic to eat my sandwich underneath. The only downside being that in a small pot on the table was a PLASTIC flower! Honestly? With all those gorgeous blooms in the whole place, they put plastic flowers on the table!

Anyway, after lunch we had to get our coats, because the last bit we were going to see were the lemurs. There weren't that many of them, and the only one we saw outside had moved inside by the time we got close. 

There were however also a fair few ducks and flamingos. And some alpaca and two of the cutest mini donkeys. To take home, but I remembered what my mum said last week, so they both remained.

After this lovely day we visited my old home-town where not much had changed over the last six years. We drove home and then in the evening we went and got pancakes. The perfect ending to the perfect day!

Plenty of carvings throughout of animals or just faces. 

Orchids