What is especially memorable about my short stay in the little town of Nara is that there are deer roaming around freely, juz like the stray cats and dogs we have here in Singapore! They are protected (and I think regarded as sacred) here in Nara, esp in the large expanse of the park. And if u buy those deer biscuits (I think we can eat them too) from the numerous hawkers around, juz hold one out and the deer will come eating out of ur hands -- literally!
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| A bizarre sight of a deer trotting leisurely down the main thoroughfare leading to the Toudaiji, a temple where the Daibutsu (sculpture of the Great Buddha) is enshrined. Just imagine it doing that in busy Orchard Road on a weekend! As it sauntered down the path, the sea of people just parted like the red sea, a testament to its sacred status. It really walks with a royal trot, as though it owns the road. I wonder if the cows enjoy a similar treatment in India. |
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| A common scene of child feeding deer.... |
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| I was really floored by this! Deer on zebra crossing! It'll be fun to see a real zebra doing that! Reminds me of a trip many years ago enroute to Sapa in Vietnam, where our four-wheel drive had to constantly look out for chickens crossing the road. |
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| deer getting chummy with the cars on the roads....and yes, the deer have the right of way here in Nara...Knock one down and you'll be cursed by the gods for eternity! |
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| Would have been a nice shot with the autumn foliage above, if not for the fact that the deer is too small....should've zoomed in further... |
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| deer sun-tanning in the middle of the road, eyes closed, as if luxuriating in the warmth of the sun, totally oblivious to the crowd around it....really bo chap! |
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| they come with horns too, antlers. These are the males, but most of them have to suffer the indignity of having their proud antlers sawn off....saw quite a few which are de-horned. Looks really ridiculous with two stumps sticking out halfway from their heads. In my head I was thinking: Oh dear! the poor deer/dear... it must have felt like castration! |
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| A lone deer I encountered at the peak when I trekked up this hill overlooking the town of Nara. When it sensed my presence, it suddenly looked up and gazed at me with an intensity that unsettled me. At that moment, for some ridiculous reason, I suddenly felt like Gulliver when he was eyed by a Yahoo when he (i.e. Gulliver) was taking a bath in a pond. Those of you who have no idea what I'm alluding to, go read the orgasmic Book 4 of Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels". And NO, the Yahoo here has nothing to do with Marissa Mayer or the internet search engine! Back to my narrative, I had to quickly beat a hasty retreat downhill, so hasty that I didn't even have time to snap a pic of its intense gaze. |
