West Coast Game Park in Bandon, Oregon
The brochure to this place is very deceiving. On it, you see happy women and children holding various exotic baby animals.
Beware. This is now how it really is.
One of the first animals on display is a monkey. Stuffed inside a metal cage only large enough for him to walk around - he's got
no grass to roll around in, he can't run around or climb trees. A sign outside his cage warns: "Beware: monkeys have been known to
throw food and/or feces." Well, if I was stuck in that ugly metal cage all day long I'd be throwing my fecal matter too.
Pretty much all the animals are housed this way. Tiny cages and not much to do. The lions paced back and forth, the bears simply
sat and stared, the monkeys waited for their next poop victim.
Heading to the nursery, I want to see some baby animals before leaving. However, what they don't tell you
on the brochure is that they don't have all these infants on display at the same time. And, unlike the photos in the brochure,
you're not allowed to hold them. They brought a black bear cub out for viewing and he was immediately surrounded by 20 kids so there
went my chance to touch him.
After a fruitless effort to get a photo of the baby bear cub, I take one look at the deer which are following my every move -
but from a distance - to the monkey sullenly sitting in his metal cage to the Bengal tiger pacing back and forth in his cage and
I just wanna leave.
La Fiesta Restaurant in Bandon, Oregon
Looking at pathetic animals for three hours works up an appetite, so I drive north to Bandon's historical area. I'd read that
La Fiesta is supposed to be a pretty good Mexican restaurant and they didn't disappoint. I managed to arrive during the lull between
the lunch and dinner crowd so I was able to eat my dinner in peace.
The food is excellent and the portions huge - as you can see from the photo. Because they were so nice I leave a 25% tip. If I ever return to Bandon, I'll defintely return to La Fiesta.
