Run #5: At the Zoo

Upon returning to Shanghai I knew that I'd have to get right into my running routine, especially before anything could get in the way.  Fortunately it was a sunny and relatively pleasant afternoon, and almost eerily quiet at the zoo.  Well, it was a cold Thursday afternoon when most people were at work or school or anywhere inside staying warm.  It seemed like the perfect chance to enjoy a leisurely run through the zoo.

I was smart enough to check earlier in the day when the zoo closed - 6:00 pm - to ensure I would have plenty of time for my run.  When I went to the ticket windows at 4:30 pm they were all closed.  Typical.  I should've known that I didn't ask all the right questions, like "When do you stop selling tickets?"  No problem.  I had heard that if you're dressed for running you can just breeze through the gate and the security guards might glance your way or even shout to stop, but wouldn't make a big stink.  I thought I'd give it a try.

Wouldn't you know, the entrance gate was closed too.  (That makes sense, since no one was selling tickets.)  So I meandered over to the exit gate and tried to casually stroll right through.  One very tall, grumpy, and diligent guard came right over and thrust his brutish arm right in my path, bringing my illegal entry attempt to an abrupt halt.  When I tried to play dumb and squeeze by anyway his amused, and slightly less threatening, guard buddy came over to reinforce the fact that I was not getting into the park.  Fine.

I turned around, defeated, and jogged up the street, ready for a boring run just along the road.  But wait!  The driveway to Rainbow Bridge International School was open, and it's known as "the school in the zoo" for a reason: it really is in the zoo!  Lucky for me the guards at that entrance were either lazier or just less interested in a silly foreigner determined to run in the zoo.

So I made it in, and had quite the enjoyable run/jog/walk in the zoo.  The park is actually very peaceful, full of humongous trees and small winding paths, with occasional animal-shaped topiaries or sculptures.  Many of the animals were either sleeping or kept inside, but some of them put on a little show.  A pair of red pandas were prancing along their ladder-bridge among the trees; the pumas took an unnervingly keen interest in my movements; the wolves gathered atop a rock and howled like an invasion of vampires was on the way.  The best was that I came across less than a dozen other visitors, and the setting sun made the whole experience a bit surreal.


When I headed back out the RBIS driveway the harsh reality of Hongqiao traffic hit me again.  At least I learned that I have a few options for getting into the zoo: buy a ticket well before closing time or avoid the vigilant guards and aim for the disinterested ones.  I'm reminded once again: where there's a will, there's a way, even in China!

The Fine Print

Date:  1/10/13  Time:  4:30 pm    Location:  Shanghai, PRC

Time:  long, with all the stopping   Distance:  4 mi    Pace:  uneven 

Music:  Pandora station based on "Pink" while the VPN connection lasted (an impressive 30 minutes)