there is a high wall along the back boundaries of the zoo. if you have nothing to pay, like me, we can scale the wall, hang from our long arms like monkeys, and drop to the ground, landing on tiny wrists or scraped up knees. We wander around the outskirts, until we see up ahead a large rock formation. We stare into a dark hole in the rock expectantly, our eyes wait all eager at the edge of the cave. And after a long enough time, out will come.. ghost tigers.. we will marvel at their bold black stripes, their snow white or perhaps glass-like translucent fur, their powerful legs and necks, tall teeth, their ice blue eyes with smooth drops of periwinkle added, and that steady gaze into. our human monkey eyes.. Rooaaaaaarrrrrrrrr.. we scramble back up over the meager chain link fence. and look back. in reverence.

and we never even enter the zoo.