Nature's Call

The plan was to get out in the morning, take the tube to South Kensington, and visit three museums (the Victoria and Albert museum, the Science museum, and the Natural History museum). Instead I did only the Natural History museum; despite being far from scientifically inclined!

When I got in, I didn't think i'd spend more than an hour or two. The oldest footprints (3.8 million years old) caught my fancy, but the minerals, stones, rocks, and precious stones..not so much! However, since everyone else was gasping and taking pictures with then, i decided to feign some interest. Then I wandered into the bird room with every kind of bird, claws, feathers, eggs, and information on nests and feeding habits. Having read about them in the distant past, didn't quite prepare me for how tall the Ostrich was, or what the extinct Dodo looked like. Fascinated, I moved on to the next zone!

I found myself in the midst of excited young boys pointing at various skeletal remains of dinosaurs. We climbed a couple of stairs, and walked into a room with dinosaurs on either side. "Where is T-rex" they screamed.

Though I was clueless, the excitement was infectious. I followed, eagerly anticipating the star of the exhibition. The poster at the end prepared us for what was to come "T-Rex"! We took the dark corridor lit by dim lights above posters with T-Rex facts. I was getting more and more curious about this bone crushing, meat eating dinosaur. Suddenly the corridor opened into an open ground, where T-Rex moved and snarled at us. The kids were ecstatic.

The exhibition was impressive. There were a series of bones and screens depicting dino movement. Just when you were sure you had any child's fascination, you were already approaching the toy store with stuffed dinos. Not many parents were succeeding at steering away their kids from these stores.

I then went on to the section on creepy crawlies (of every kind). Many exhibits were interactive and fun. In addition to sparking a child's curiosity, these exhibits were also triggering off small fights. Everyone wanted to a piece of this action.

"Pick up the phone if you want to hear a particular insect."

"Pull up the crab and find out if its heavier in air or water."

"Press the buzzer for the right answer to a question regarding ants."

After the ants, mosquitoes, and scorpions, it was time for the mammals (all kinds)! I got a glimpse of every kind of animal from then on. Cats, horses, rhinos, monkeys, whales.....and kids posing beside them for pictures. From there I explored the section on humans and plants. Except for a lunch and tea break, I'd been wandering the Natural History museum all day. Before I knew it, it was 4 PM! How I wish I'd been here when I was in school. Seeing it all made it so much more interesting.

Now perhaps I could flaunt some of my newly gained knowledge?

This is the Robber Crab, that climbs coconut trees and lives on Coconuts? Interesting piece of trivia eh?

Visit the Natural History Museum if you ever get to London! Doesn't matter if you're childless. You'd just be another entity in a sea of excited, curious faces.