Chicago

I wanted to write everyday that I was in Chicago. But every time I went out, every line of thought just froze out of existence. The only thing that remained was the thought that if I wiped my nose any harder it might fall off.

Beautiful place. Explored their museum campus in some detail. Lakeshore-so exceptionally cold and windy. Spectacular view of the downtown at night though. The Fields museum has Sue –a T rex and the stuffed man-eaters of Tsavo [of Colonel Patterson fame]. Besides this there are zillions of stuffed animals, gems, and artifacts on display. There is this particular group of life-sized bronzes of the Masai alert, spears out hunting down a lion and lioness in full charge. The bronzes seem alive except for the air in their lungs. The Masai stand victorious on the lion in the next statuette, akin to Shakti over Mahisasura.

Ah, the Egyptian exhibit is marvelous. Its arranged as a tomb and you view the exhibits within the sanctum. Several mummies and books of the dead are arranged for perusal. Genuine respect for the civilization is palpable as you make your way through the exhibit. Truth is by the time you view all the exhibits your mind is just so overwhelmed that if Tut`s tomb was around the corner you would probably skip it.

Went to the aquarium round the corner, nice. Saw a couple of belugas. Huge white whales with a perennial grin on their faces. They just keep going round and round the insignificant pool they are enclosed in. Lots and lots of fish in several exhibits- of every color and shape imaginable. The aquarium has sections devoted to species from the Amazon, coral reefs, Rift valley and several other habitats. The Amazon exhibit just takes the cake in terms of absolute size of the fish. Forget piranhas, there were so many big fish displayed that you leave with a sense of wonder as would be befitting the longest river in the world.

You leave with a sense that the world is so much more varied and beautiful than even the most spectacular of human creations. Hope it survives us.