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Science Daily has a story of Bonnie the whistling orangutan:

Bonnie, a 30-year-old female orangutan living at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., began whistling – a sound that is in a human’s, but not an orangutan’s, repertoire – after hearing an animal caretaker make the sound.

They go on to be all sciencey and stuff about how it might give a clue to the evolution of speech, but for me, it's all about the picture:

Credit: Photo courtesy of Smithsonian National Zoological Park.

Today, both Snookums and I went to the orthopedic doctor--her for what turns out to be "golfer's elbow" and me for achilles tendon bursitis that I've had since summer. Both of us got cortisone shots. Mine hurt an awful, AWFUL lot. Hers, of course, didn't. The orthopedist explained that hers was among the more painful cortisone shots he gives. Yikes.

My shot was excruciatingly painful, brought tears to my eyes and made my breathing really, really difficult to control. I recommend it as an interrogation tactic at Guantanamo Bay, as it's definitely a tactic of torture. "I'll talk, Doc, I'll talk! I bombed the World Trade Center! Just make it stop!"

Hers . . . "Doctor, any time you're ready." "Oh, it's already done." "Oh."

As I keep telling her, she is a freak . . . of nature.

Snub-nosed monkey (Credit: Image courtesy of Fauna & Flora International)

Catching up on simian-blogging (and its close cousin, monkey-blogging):

First, from Special Simian Correspondent Bill, a story from Science Daily:

Believed to be extinct until the late 1980s, only around 200 Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys (scientific name: Rhinopithecus avunculus) are left in the world. As a result, the primate is listed as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species. Unique to Vietnam, the species is now known to be present in just two of Vietnam's northern-most provinces - Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang.

Next, more sadly, 30 lemurs killed at a UK sanctuary:

A blaze killed 30 lemurs as it ripped through an animal enclosure at a park in Cumbria.

The fire destroyed the wooden buildings that were housing the creatures at South Lakes Wild Animal Park in Dalton.

Finally, anyone for monkey barbecue- - to go?

Customs agents found the charred remains of three monkeys inside the luggage of a man who landed last week at Dulles International Airport, The Washington Post reports.

The passenger, who has not been publicly identified, wasn't charged with a crime.

He arrived on a flight from Central Africa.

And we promise to put up the last post of our trip real soon now. In the week or so since we got back from Cancun, we've been up to South Dakota for some basketball and a visit to Filbert's family, and had Snookums in the repair shop to fix a squeeky wheel (she got her hip 'scoped, if you must know) and we're now sitting snug as bugs in rugs, watching it snow in Lee's Summit, MO. It feels quite a bit like an old-fashioned, stay-home-from-school Snow Day here at the Palatial Abode.

The Grand Asia & Australia Voyage - Holland America Amsterdam, September 19-November 23, 2008

Text by Snookums, Pictures by Filbert

Part Sixty

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November 29 (Saturday, Day 75, Cancun, Mexico) -

A building on the Hyatt property

Snookums woke up and had breakfast in the Regency Club and then lay outside in the sun and read her book. Filbert found her by the pool and then we both went to play in the ocean. It was very windy and the waves were more intense than yesterday, but once again we conquered the ocean.

More after the jump . . .

The Grand Asia & Australia Voyage - Holland America Amsterdam, September 19-November 23, 2008

Text by Snookums, Pictures by Filbert

Part Fifty-nine

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November 28 (Friday, Day 74, Cancun, Mexico) -

We declared today a “sea day” which meant sleeping in and having no plans. We woke up, ate breakfast in the Regency Club and then frolicked in the ocean for an hour or so. It’s fun to bounce off the waves and no one got hurt (or drowned). Filbert spent the rest of the day on the Internet while Snookums read her book. We ordered room service for lunch (pizza for Snookums, chicken fajitas for Filbert) and then at 4:00 we both left for Moon Palace. We decided to both try to sneak in without paying the $81/each daypass fee and we also decided to try to sneak in to the gym without paying for Snookums’s $50/day basketball ticket. It worked!

More after the jump . . .

The Grand Asia & Australia Voyage - Holland America Amsterdam, September 19-November 23, 2008

Text by Snookums, Pictures by Filbert

Part Fifty-eight

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November 27 (Thursday, Day 73, Cancun, Mexico, Continued) -

We weren't quite done with our adventure to Paradise Reef. Snookums had to ride the spinnaker sail first:

Snookums rides the spinnaker sail

And in she jumps . . .

More after the jump . . .

The Grand Asia & Australia Voyage - Holland America Amsterdam, September 19-November 23, 2008

Text by Snookums, Pictures by Filbert

Part Fifty-seven

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November 27 (Thursday, Day 73, Cancun, Mexico) -

Happy Thanksgiving!

We purchased a snorkel tour and met the van at 8 AM to take us to Maroma Beach Club in Playa Paraiso. When we got to the marina, we boarded a trimaran sail boat with 30 other people and sailed a little ways to the first reef for snorkeling. We saw a spotted yellow ray, a squid, some conch shells, and lots of other fish. Then we got back in the trimaran and sailed to the second location and saw more fish and coral. Both snorkels were really good and the water was warm and clear. After the second snorkel people could ride on the spinnaker swing from the trimaran. It wasn’t very windy so the crew encouraged the lighter-weight people to use the swing. Even so, Snookums had to try it. She didn’t get as high as some of the children, but she still enjoyed it.

We finally returned to the marina and enjoyed our free snack of sodas, chips, pico de gallo and beans. Snookums was still hungry so she bought the three-taco platter for $3.25. Too soon it was time to get in the van for the 40-minute ride back to Cancun. It was a fantastic 8-hour adventure for $55 each.

Heading for Paradise Reef

More after the jump . . .

The Grand Asia & Australia Voyage - Holland America Amsterdam, September 19-November 23, 2008

Text by Snookums, Pictures by Filbert

Part Fifty-six

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November 26 (Wednesday, Day 72, Cancun, Mexico, Continued) -

A post almost but not quite exclusively dedicated to South Dakota State University women's basketball:

Basketball under the chandeliers

The Grand Asia & Australia Voyage - Holland America Amsterdam, September 19-November 23, 2008

Text by Snookums, Pictures by Filbert

Part Fifty-five

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November 24 (Monday, Day 70, Flying to Dallas, Texas) -

The U.S.S. Nimitz at her home port: San Diego

We woke up and had breakfast at the Regency Club and then took a cab to the airport for our 10 AM flight to Dallas. We landed at the DFW airport around 3 PM and immediately checked in to the Grand Hyatt DFW for the night. The Grand Hyatt DFW is one of the few hotels that is actually IN an airport. Filbert loves airports so we figured this would be a nice break, especially if we got a room that faced the runways.

More after the jump . . .