The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon: Signs for a people who understand

Have you ever heard a word that you had never heard before and then soon after, maybe a day or two later, you come across it again? And then again? Or when you buy a new car and then it seems like two-thirds of the population drives the same car in the same colour? Well, apparently there is a term for this. I know because I looked it up (yes, I’m weird that way). It is called the Baader-Meinhof (pronounced as Baa-der-mine-half) phenomenon.

I looked that up too 😆

And the reason I looked it up was because this has happened to me multiple times in my life, and I have heard of other people experiencing it too. And since I have an interest in language and communication and because our world is so fond of labelling things, I looked it up. And lo and behold, Baader-Meinhof is a thing. It is loosely defined as a phenomenon where one comes across a new word or situation and soon after, encounters the same again, almost like it is haunting them (that last part isn’t to be taken literally; I was just making sure you are still reading).

So, why am I writing about the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon? Well, because I came across two happenings recently which evoked the same sentiment in me. Kind of like the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, really. They weren’t the same word or same situation, but they seemed to have an intersection, at least, in my understanding and interpretation. And since I have experienced this phenomenon before and always wanted to look up if there was a term for it, this time I made haste and did, both to my and your advantage! 😇

What were the two occurrences, you wonder? Well, on a recent trip to the Ottawa Museum of Nature, I came across an exhibit about Earth and Life, the explanation of which struck me, especially the words,

“Earth provides for life. Its particular chemical and physical conditions allowed life to appear and continue to allow it to thrive.”

The premise was further explained by conditions such as the Earth’s distance from the sun, moon and Jupiter, the tilt of the planet itself and more. And I just stood there reading it all again. As someone who deeply feels the magnificence of the Creator through His creation, especially nature and natural phenomena; and, as a recent immigrant to Canada who is alternatively awed and petrified by the severe temperatures as well as the drastic and sudden changes in weather, I felt rooted to the spot. My eight-year-old finding me reading the information with so much concentration came over and began to read. I found myself explaining the specifics to him and as I explained, I kept thinking that while I was essentially explaining scientific happenings to him, what I was truly explaining was the Power and Might of Allah (SWT).

In Surah Younus in the Quran, Allah (SWT) says,

“He is the One who has made the sun a glow, and the moon a light, and determined for it stages, so that you may learn the number of the years, and the calculation (of time). Allah (SWT) has not created all this but for a rightful purpose. He elaborates the signs for a people who understand.”

And in Surah Nahl, He says,

“Have they not seen the birds glide in the open sky? None holds them up except Allah. Surely in this are signs for those who believe.”

The magnitude of these words hit me full force. While most planets were discovered, identified and labelled as late as the 17^th century onwards, these words appeared in the Quran more than 1400 years ago with such a detailed explanation. The sun is defined as a “glow” – something which is often natural and has an inner source (think of a person glowing with happiness) while the moon is called a “light” – often something that needs to be switched on and off; and now we know that the moon’s light is actually derived from and dependent on the sun. The verse further clarifies their purpose – to give light and determine and calculate time be it in terms of a day, months, years or seasons. And it very clearly ends with “signs for a people who understand”.

If you think about it, the words in the museum, “Earth provides for life. Its particular chemical and physical conditions allowed life to appear and continue to allow it to thrive” not only state a fact, but they also reiterate what the Quran told us all those years ago, and it clearly shows that there has to be a Higher Power sustaining and maintaining the planet in the midst of absolutely unliveable planets. Scientists have found Mars to be too cold, Jupiter to have too much helium and hydrogen, Venus to have no water, Uranus to have unsuitable temperature and air pressure, and so on. And while Science proves this, I find it hard to believe that all of this is just natural phenomena. To me, at least, the words, “Earth provides for life. Its particular chemical and physical conditions allowed life to appear and continue to allow it to thrive”, are nothing but proof that there is a Creator who made, and continues to make it possible for His creation to live and thrive on Earth, as opposed to other planets.

There is a Creator because there is a creation.

And this brings me back to the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, also referred to as the frequency illusion. A few days after I visited the Ottawa Museum of Nature, I came across this video of a Muslim revert on Facebook. He talks about his initial curiosity about our existence and purpose in this world, which compelled him to turn towards a study of different faiths and beliefs. However, finding himself dissatisfied with the content he came across, he approached a Christian cousin of his – someone he describes as ‘religious’. When he told his cousin that he had studied the major religions and could not find anything that satisfied his queries, the cousin asked him what he had studied, to which he replied, “Christianity and all the -isms” (which I would guess would imply Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism and so on). His cousin then told him that he had left one out and when asked which one, he replied, “Islam.”

This (now) revert was appalled because “they are terrorists!” in his words. But he did go on to do his research which landed him in a mosque. However, while his knowledge and exposure (and tolerance) grew for Islam and Muslims, he still did not find an answer to his question, “What is our purpose in this world?” in spite of asking Allah to show him just one sign to make him believe.

Until one day.

On this particular day, when he opened the Quran, he found himself on a page with the verse quoted above from Surah Younus or perhaps, a similar one because there is a lot of repetition in the Quran. Many different chapters and verses address similar topics from different angles. But the gist of what he read was Allah (SWT) telling the people to look around them – at the sky, sun, stars, planets, moon, seasons, day and night – all natural phenomena, so to say. This Muslim revert calls himself arrogant for asking Allah (SWT) for a ‘personalized sign’ for himself to make him believe, and not seeing ALL the signs which had been clearly around him all along. In his words, “There is a Creator because there is a creation.”

The way I see it, the words used in the museum to describe life on earth are in essence, the words of verse 17 in Surah Hadid in the Quran,

“Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its lifelessness. We have made clear to you the signs; perhaps you will understand.

And that my friends, is a classic example, in my humble opinion, of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon or frequency illusion – that there are signs all around us and on repeat, for those who wish to understand.

Eid-ul-Fitr with Sikhs, Hindus, Christians…and Muslims!

This year, we celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr, our first Eid in Canada (the last one doesn’t count since we were in post-arrival quarantine) with a Sikh couple, a Hindu-Christian family, and a Christian mom with two little kids, all of whom had come over to a Muslim family’s house to celebrate Eid with them and their other Muslim guests.

Yep…you read that right. Sikhs, Hindus and Christians celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr with us Muslims.  

And guess what happened?

Nothing.

The sky didn’t fall, the ground didn’t shake, and the world didn’t end.

Alhamdulillah.

What did happen was that there was a table laden with good food, Eidi (money given as a gift on Eid) was given to the kids including those from non-Muslims households, there was some healthy debate on the struggles of third world countries, the challenges of living in first world countries as ‘outsiders’ (someone PLEASE tell me which countries are considered ‘second world’), the pressures of the educational system worldwide, health and the power of Big Pharma, and the ever-present issues faced by parents across the world. There was also a lot of leg pulling between mature adults (some very mature at the ripe old age of 81 mashAllah), including religious banter between a Hindu Aunty and a Muslim Aunty (who happened to be the host) …“Haw haye!” (how shocking!)…

Muslim Aunty: “I will just quickly say my Zuhr prayer (afternoon prayer) and come back.”

Hindu Aunty (with a naughty smile on her face): “See…this is something I would never do. Go off to do my pooja (Hindu prayer) while I have guests over! I can always do it later. My God won’t be angry…”

Muslim Aunty (indignantly but continuing to walk out of the room): “I’m just going to say the farz (obligatory prayer) and come back. My guests will be fine for five minutes without me!”

Mind you, this was all said in good ‘faith’ (pun absolutely intended), and laughed off by the two Aunties and other guests alike 😊

Quite refreshing, honestly.

It was heartening to see that although they got together to celebrate a religious festival, they did not feel the need to share that faith with those who did, nor did they feel the need to hide their opinions or defend their stance, for that matter. Keeping their individual faith, nationalities and ethnicities aside, this group of people met to celebrate an occasion, enjoy each other’s company, and gorge on some absolutely yummilicious food ranging from chicken dam kababs to mirchi ka salan (a flavorful green chili gravy), from Hyderabadi tamatar cut (tomato gravy usually served with boiled eggs originating from Hyderabad, India) to bhuna gosht (a meat dish), from tofu and chanay (chickpeas) to aaloo kalonji ki bhaji (potatoes cooked with onion seeds and other spices).

And then the desserts! A fresh fruit platter, chocolate coated dates, home-made coffee bundt cake, home-made rasgullay (balls made with curdled milk and flour dipped in sugar syrup), sheer khorma (vermicelli cooked with milk, sugar, nuts and dates) and anday ka halwa (a soft but crumbly dessert made with eggs, milk, sugar and clarified butter)!

Could you ask for more?

Bundt cake with chai

Well…you could of course ask for tea/coffee I guess…but we didn’t have to because Aunty served that too! And we enjoyed it immensely with the coffee cake 🤤 It is no wonder, then, that brunch turned into lunch and lunch turned into tea. While some, like us, remained a constant feature through the brunch-lunch-tea soirée, others dropped in for a while and then left for their other engagements because after all, Eid in a non-Muslim country is not a public holiday.

You may be wondering by now (if you’ve read thus far, that is) why you just read the entire menu of an Eid brunch I attended in Vilayat (foreign land)? Bear with me a little more…and you’ll soon find out.

Interestingly, those who joined after the actual brunch was served found their way to the table, loaded their plates, microwaved them and enjoyed their meal. There were no formalities, no topping up of dishes, no “Nahi nahi…aisay kaisay thanda khaiengay? Mein aap ke liye garam garam laati hoon” (No no…how can you eat it cold? Let me just warm it up for you!), no hustle to clear up and clean up before each and every guest was served. Surprisingly these mature adults knew how to serve themselves, use a microwave and pour their own tea. Imagine! 😱

The point is not to mock any culture or anyone for that matter; the point is that things CAN be done simply. And guess what happens when you do that? Life becomes simpler.

Who would have thought? 😆

Since Eid fell on a Monday, most of the people present at this get together had either taken the day off or dropped in for a while in the middle of a workday, and this was possibly the ONLY Eid celebration they had. Unlike in Pakistan, they don’t have the benefit of visiting multiple homes and families over a three-day Eid holiday which gives each family there the chance to exhibit their hosting and culinary skills. That, along with no house help, meant that one Aunty brought the tofu, chanay and rasgullay, another guest brought the kababs, sheer khorma and coffee cake while the actual host dished out the mirchi ka salan, tamatar ka cut, rice, bhuna gosht and aaloo bhaji. A one-dish is always a great idea…everyone pitches in and everyone gets to try dishes made by different hands using a variety of recipes…win-win!

By the way, did you notice that there were no appetizers on the menu? Something that might need last minute frying or at least, assembly? Remember that point about doing things simply makes life simple? There you go. Sure, appetizers add a certain class to the table, but they also add last minute stress, don’t they? And come to think of it, mess too!

And did I mention that the Aunty who brought tofu and chanay was Hindu and ate vegetarian? Wasn’t it nice that she brought dishes that she could eat herself (and share with others), hence, not burdening the host AND adding variety to the menu? Of course, the host’s mirchi ka salan and tamatar ka cut added to the vegetarian Aunty’s selection and of course, that of the other guests too! My point is, that it’s nice to think of the host and try to lessen their burden and inconvenience, even if you are the guest! It makes me think of the countless times people in Pakistan have to add items to their menu to accommodate picky children and/or people with dietary limitations. Maybe bringing a dish that your kids AND other kids at the party can eat, could make things easier for the host? I know nobody wants to cook when they are invited somewhere for a meal, but isn’t Eid all about celebration, togetherness and sharing?

Since all the attendees were either from Pakistan or India or had roots there, the discussion eventually turned to the politics, corruption and depravation of the common man, in these countries; followed by a comparison of how drastically different things are in first world countries. But one of the guests very rightly pointed out that it’s unfair to compare apples to oranges. From population to infrastructure, from facilities to mindsets, from culture to religious inclinations and influences, there IS a stark difference between the two. And comparisons should not be made generally speaking…

Did you sense a ‘But’ coming? If you did, your sixth sense is quite strong! 👏

BUT…a person can always learn, unlearn and re-learn things and adapt them to their specific circumstances and situations, methinks. You CAN break cycles, you CAN try different things, you CAN analyze what serves your best interests and what doesn’t, and then make the needed efforts to bring changes you can. That’s the blessing of being born human, right? That we can think, analyze and make the best choices.

That’s the blessing of being born human, right? That we can think, analyze and make the best choices.

It doesn’t have to happen overnight. It doesn’t have to be exactly how you envision it initially. It doesn’t have to be a complete overhaul. But it CAN happen. Step-by-step and even one step forward, two steps back sometimes, because that’s how transitions usually are.

Because let’s face it, with economic disparity on a steep rise in developing countries accompanied by a steep decline in the availability of natural resources, we NEED to think of the changes we, as individuals, can make in our lifestyles to prevent economic, environmental and social disaster. Of course, we can enjoy luxuries occasionally, but the day-to-day extravagance and waste needs to be re-visited and assessed through the lens of self-criticism. Eid brunches are just one aspect, but if we think about it, just the number of clothes we buy/make every year, the amount of water we consume to clean our lavish houses and maintain our landscaped gardens, steadily widens the gap between the fortunate and the less so; and are also a burden on the environment. Some would argue that these “extravagances” help create employment – gardeners, cleaners, people working in textile mills and clothing stores to name a few, if we just consider the case in point.

But I ask you, if these jobs are not creating economic parity, are not raising the standard of living for the vast majority of the population, what are they good for?   

So, here’s to simpler lifestyles, honest conversations, introspection and real relationships.

Here’s to embracing change, diversity and open-mindedness.

Here’s to a better you and me. And hopefully, a better tomorrow.

Eid Mubarak!

Are you settled in Canada yet?

My best friend asks me every few weeks if I’ve settled in Canada yet (it’s been a few months since we migrated from Pakistan). Her questions go along the lines of…

“Are you enjoying the cold?”

“How is your son dealing with all the changes?”

“Is living alone hard?”

And while all these questions are absolutely relevant, there is so much more to immigration than adapting to the weather and environment.

Let me explain…yesterday a picture showed up in the ‘Memories’ on my phone – a picture of my then 5-year-old and I sitting at the dining table in our home in Karachi.

And my heart froze. And then hurt. And then broke a little.

Why?

Because in the picture, I saw my home. The first (and only till we migrated) house in Karachi that my husband and I lived in alone after marriage. The house I lovingly turned into a home slowly and gradually over a period of 9 years. A small but cozy apartment which held all our memories. It saw all our transitions from a working couple’s neat and tidy house to becoming a home with toys strewn all across the floor and where cozy corners were replaced with bouncers, swings and high chairs and then later with trampolines, tricycles and floor puzzles as we welcomed and then raised our son. A home filled with laughter (and tears…oh a LOT of tears), where I walked its entire length day and night with my extremely colicky baby glued to my shoulder while I bounced his (excessive) gas away (yes, that’s how I lost all that baby weight within a month post-partum). Where he had his first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh birthday. A home where he lost his first tooth, had his first (and hopefully last) BAD fall (but that’s another story), and where I crumpled into a mess when my dad had a heart attack in the middle of the night just a few hours after he left my place.

I put my phone away but that frozen feeling, that dull ache, that heartbreak stayed that day. And THAT’S what immigration is, especially when you are a new immigrant, fresh off the plane (not so fresh…been a few months now…but you know what I mean).

It is feeling settled one day and waking up the very next day feeling utterly lost and uncertain.

It is living in a rental with the basics – beds, a sofa, a dining table, a TV (yes, a TV IS an essential lol!) and being okay with it most of the time and optimistic about a better future. And then SUDDENLY  something reminds you of home – your very cozy home, your very settled life back in your home country – and you feel like someone punched you in the gut.

It is missing your mother tongue and wanting to do everything you can to keep it alive in this strange land far far away. It is insisting on writing “Salgirah Ka Din Aaya Hai” (It is your birthday) in Urdu so your 7-year-old is forced to read Urdu if he needs a prompt while singing it for his friend in school. The backstory for this is that it was his friend’s birthday and being a culturally diverse class, the children sang “Happy Birthday” in their native languages including Arabic, English, Spanish and French while the teacher sang it in Tamazight (Berber), the language  spoken in Algeria. When asked how “Happy Birthday” is sung in Urdu, the two Pakistani boys in the class, one of them being my son were stumped. Once home, he asked me what the song is in Urdu and I taught him “Salgirah Ka Din Aaya Hai” (a.k.a. Jungal Mein Mungal) and wrote it down for him in case he forgot while singing it to his friend in class the next day. And he sang it THREE times because the teachers wanted to hear it again and again (oh, the pride I felt for Urdu when he told me later!)

Lyrics to “Salgirah Ka Din Aaya Hai” written in Urdu

It is having an out-of-body experience when you see Urdu as one of the listed languages at a self-checkout machine in a store and excitedly press the tab to hear “Baraye Meherbani….” complete with goosebumps on your arms and tears in your eyes (yes, that’s how patriotic I am).

Self-checkout machine with an audio Urdu option

It is asking yourself almost every day if this was the right decision. For yourself, for your kids, for your family back home….and never knowing the right answer.

It is teaching your son the concept of Halal food WHILE teaching him acceptance, tolerance and inclusion (you do not know how hard this is until you have done it).

It is wanting the cleanliness of Canada while craving a ghalaazat bhara road ka bun kabab (street food that’s not the most hygienic) at the same time.

It is forgetting to live in the present because you miss the past and are worrying about the future (yes, I know…many of us do this without even migrating to another country!)

It is your neighbour (an immigrant from Syria) saying, “I wake up every morning and wish there was some way I could bring my parents and siblings here somehow” and knowing EXACTLY what she means.

It is cleaning the toilet and missing your domestic helper back home like CRAZY but also not missing the every other day cycle of “will she come/ will she not come/why didn’t she inform me that she won’t be coming” that having day help in Pakistan means…while also hoping this kind of life will help you raise a Pakistani guy without ‘Pakistani guy’ traits who can cook, clean, and cuddle (my three Cs rule) without feeling any less manly!

It is feeling relieved when your 7-year-old tells you “I like living here” (because it IS hard for children to adjust to a new country, go to a new school, acquire education in a new language and make new friends) while thinking of the thousands of people and experiences he will have to grow up without.

It is having driven in insane Karachi traffic like a BOSS for more than a decade and yet, feeling scared shitless by the regulated traffic here because you know now you HAVE to follow the 400 rules in the driving handbook.  

It is missing the Azaan.

It is jumping excitedly everywhere you see a Halal sign.

It is losing yourself. And finding yourself. And losing yourself. Every day.

It is being scared, grateful and sad.

It is learning and unlearning.

It is loss.

It is growth.

It is what you make of it.

A mum’s ‘dil se dua’ (heartfelt prayer) for the Chinese spray fan!

It’s a hot, humid day (you know what I mean fellow Karachiite mums). You’ve showered, donned the lightest of lawns and are walking into your child’s school while having an inner dialogue with yourself,

“I’m going to stay calm today…”

“I’m not going to answer a tantrum with one of my own…”

“I am the adult in this relationship…”

I will not give in and buy her an ice cream to maintain my own sanity…”

But before you know it, you are walking out of the same gate, holding your child’s hand and with each step to the car, you can feel that hand getting sweatier, her steps slowing down, her voice (which, just five minutes ago was happily saying “Bye bye” to her teachers) becoming whinier. You can feel YOUR heart pumping faster, your hands clenching tighter and your pace getting faster as you anticipate the imminent meltdown.

And if you happen to be your own driver and have a longer walk to the parking lot than the pickup point like other mums, you can actually feel all those resolutions made above flying off into the (non-existent) wind. I feel you mama, I know how much you’d rather buy that ice cream (for you AND your kid!), how much that whiny voice is getting to you and how LOUDLY you want to scream, “STOP WHINING!!!” BUT there IS a light at the end of this burning hot tunnel (pun absolutely intended)!

Around a year back, I was probably like you too. But then I found God’s own gift-to-mums-for-maintaining-their-sanity-at-hometime-madness (they don’t call the 12-3 p.m. show on FM 89 “Midday Madness with Ghazal” for nothing! )

So back to the after-school, heat-induced tantrum hack…

This, my lovely but mentally exhausted mummies, is IT. It’s a spray hand fan with a small container for water which spritzes the child (those whines will soon become giggles, trust me) when turned on. I, for one, am pretty sure the pankha jhalnay walay (hand-fan bearers in yesteryears) that our Nanis and Dadis talk about, would have killed for this gadget!

When we got this from Billboard in Clifton, Karachi, for around Rs. 200-300 (I forget) there were two types. One was battery-operated and had a Doraemon face and then there was this one which is, manual. But the shop assistant was nice enough to point out that this was more hassle-free in terms of batteries dying out and so on (don’t you guys HATE your kids’ battery operated toys and the disaster that entails when the battery dies….and you don’t have spare ones at home!?). Also, pushing that little lever up and down means that your little one will be working on those fine motor skills while cooling himself/herself down…two birds with one stone, right?

So, it’s been two years since we’ve had it. It stays in the pocket behind the front passenger seat of my car (for the most part) along with my son’s P-cap and I just carry both items to my son’s school at hometime. And if the container is empty, I just fill it from the school’s bathroom, much to the amusement of the domestic staff!

And even though it’s been two years, my son’s delight at seeing it at hometime everyday is just the same as it was that first day. Think about it…you’re four-years-old, you’ve had a long day at school, you’re hungry and tired and it’s HOT! Who wouldn’t whine???

So, whoever in China came up with this absolutely simple but amazing gadget, perhaps you didn’t know it would be used by a four-year-old at the end of a school day, but I do hope that somehow you receive the dil se dua that this mama sends your way every day!

London without visiting the Zoo? Sacrilege!

A trip to London is not complete without a trip to The London Zoo right? Especially if you are traveling with a three-year-old, in love with roaring lions and growling tigers!

I could sense that hubby dearest was not really keen on the zoo visit but wives just know better when it comes to certain things. And so right I was!

We planned our zoo visit on our third day in London and thankfully it was a cloudy but pleasant day. We got our tickets online for £24.30 each plus little M’s for £18.00. Pricey yes, but if you have the budget for it, I’d say go for it….it’s one of the world’s best zoos!

The next morning we left our apartment at 10:30 sharp because our ambitious plan included breakfast at Hyde Park which was about a 10 minute walk away from our place. We had some absolutely scrumptious mushrooms with poached eggs and salmon with poached eggs at a small Italian cafe near the entrance to the park.

Breakfast is served till 11:30 so if you plan to go, be there early! After breakfast, we walked around the park, admired the fountains and trees, ran around with M chasing pigeons and stumbled upon a playground where of course, M HAD to go!

We left the park at 12 and I was a little worried we wouldn’t have enough time at the zoo or that M would fall asleep and miss it but I left it to fate and we boarded bus number 274.

All my Trip Advisor research had told me that this was the best way to reach the zoo and would require the shortest walk (which of course, made sense because zoos generally require you to walk quite a bit, as it is).

On the way M started to get a little fidgety and so I softly began to sing an edited version of Daniel Tiger’s song,

“We are going to the zoo today…
To see some animals…
Won’t you ride along with me?
Ride alooooong…
Won’t you ride along with me?
Ting ta ting!”

M caught up but since he’s not known to be quiet, he sang it loudly. Again. And again. And again. Enough for the sweet lady in front of us to turn around and start a conversation with us.

She guided us to get off at the bus stop, walk back, cross at the pedestrian crossing, walk down the path, cross the road, walk about 200 metres and the zoo would be on our right. Bless her (and M for getting her attention) because there aren’t many signs and it would’ve taken us longer to get there if it wasn’t for her help.

We entered the zoo and had our bags checked. A word of advice here – travel light, don’t take sharp objects, do take some snacks since I think the variety available is limited/pricey and kids tend to get hungry AFTER you’ve offered food to them half a million times.

We did get some animal shaped chocolate biscuits and potato hula hoops from the snack shop near the tigers.

The queue at the entrance was not very long but online tickets are always a good idea, especially in decent weather when you can plan ahead. We got a map and first marked all the feeding times we were interested in so we wouldn’t miss them. We saw dolphins, komodo dragons and hippos being fed.

Other than that we enjoyed watching the humongous tortoise, lions, tigers, ostriches, giraffes, lions, zebras and okapi. I, for one, did not know that these almost magical creatures existed.

King of the Jungle!

In the monkey family, we saw gibbons, gorillas and diana monkeys (coincidence or is the Royal Family really that mean?)

Hmmm…should I eat ripe bananas or green ones?

And of course, the zoo would be incomplete without the owls, macaws and camels.

Oh and the butterflies! Those absolutely beautiful creatures with their delicate wings and vibrant colours, just flitting about you as you walk through their habitat! It does get a little humid in there so you might want to be careful and remind the little ones not to try to catch or hurt them.

The open air animal show was an absolute treat, although it was a tad hot by then and M was squirming with boredom and fatigue at the beginning. But once the macaws started flying across and swooping low over our heads, he was soon squealing and clapping.

Ma-CAW! CAW!

And then the meerkats began their tricks and he just couldn’t get enough!

We stopped at the Terrace Cafe for a bathroom stop (nice bathrooms) but did not eat since as it is it was almost closing time and I had not read very good reviews online (no value for money). We skipped the gift shop but thankfully the carousel was still open and M really wanted to go. Which was a surprise since he doesn’t really like merry-go-rounds and the like. But he asked to go which is what I love about travel. It really expands your comfort zone no matter what age you are! I had to stand in the carousel with him but it was well worth the sheer joy on his face and his excited squeals and “giddy ups” to the horse he was “riding”!

All the shops were closed by around 5 pm. The zoo closes at 6 pm in summer. We strolled by the aviaries but decided to skip them and walked back to the bus stop.

It had been a long but fun, animal-tastic day! Best part? Hubby admitted he had not expected the zoo to be so fun (his words), comfortable to visit with a hyper toddler and informative. Told ya! Wives know best 😇

Some tips

1. Take bus 274
2. Travel light
3. Take some snacks
4. The zoo is very push chair/stroller friendly so don’t stress over this.
5. They have an interactive app but for some reason it didn’t work for us.
6. You can make a full or half day trip of it depending on the number of days you have in London (if you are a tourist), the age of your child (children) and their interest level in the animal kingdom. For us, 4-5 hours were more than enough to stop at some feedings/shows and whiz past other less interesting (for us) animals.

So, if you go to London, do pay a visit to see these awesome creatures. I’m sure you and your family will love it!