a moose is not just a moose.

a few weeks ago i went to the 'omega wild-game park' outside montebello. i'd been wanting to go for quite some time, to see all the creatures, especially moose. so i finally threw some clothing, a toothbrush and my lethargy into a satchel and headed east.

as far as i could recall i'd never seen a moose. i'd seen plenty of deer, of course, rabbits, racoons, skunks, otters. in india i'd seen lotsa water-buffalo, a couple of mountain-lions, elephants, camels, even a leopard one time. i've seen whales, porpoises, bear and even a komoda dragon. never a moose. it seemed i finally needed to settle on a game park for that.

several years ago i drove all the way out east: nova scotia, p.e.i., cape breton and back. mostly, yes, i wanted to see a moose but never did. all the way along i saw road-signs telling me to watch out for the moose, and never did. it was kinda irritating actually. eventually i heard that if you drive along cape breton's cabot trail in the early morning you gotta go slow 'cause you'll bump into them. well, i went really early and really slow and, nope, not a hint of a moose. i got excited at one point because in the misty distance i saw the distinct shape of a large one. then as i approached carefully i realized it was in fact a plywood cut-out sign advertising a place called 'the moose motel.'

anyway, i drove to montebello, checked into a terrible little motel that i liked quite a lot, and spent the afternoon walking around the town. lovely town, although tough for vegetarians. the motel was simple, clean, not much to it. it did have an above-ground swimming pool closely surrounded by a chain-link fence that made the whole affair look kinda like a medium-security penitentiary, and the gate was locked. i couldn't find the proprietor, or guard, at the time so i never did take a swim. but, i was very comfortable, the people were nice and i slept like a baby with hutchinson-gilford progeria syndrome.

the park was great. i arrived mid-morning, bought a bag of carrots at the entrance store and followed the as yet thin line of cars through. you gotta keep the window half-closed (or half open, depending on your point of view.) otherwise you might find the head of a deer, elk or even a buffalo drooling onto your lap. they really really like carrots. i totally loved seeing all the different deer, elk, even pigs. but as i drove around the park there wasn't so much as a road-sign with a picture of a moose.

there was a brief stop and walk-around at a hobby-farm. and as i made my way back to the car i paused to feed a carrot and pat a fawn. but i couldn't help noticing the deer-ticks all over the thing so decided not to get any chummier, quickly jumped back in the car and carried on.

i saw loads of buffalo with mammoth-sized heads, coyote, black-bear and even arctic wolves. at one point i offered a carrot to one of the park employees but he did not find my gesture the least bit amusing. then, just as i began losing all hope of ever seeing a moose in this life, there were a couple large majestic ones as i turned a corner. one stood behind a fence while another strode lazily along through their area behind. they looked just so beautiful to me. i stopped the car and just watched for a while.

"every name, from straw all the way to elephant, is a name of god." 'light of knowledge' by swami shyam.