Alakazoo

I needed some groceries from a store in a mall across town because it's the only place you can get certain things.

My older kids were busy with friends and Doug was studying for his class, so Keira went with me, and we decided to make an afternoon of it.

We ordered fried chicken at the mall so we could take it home and heat it up that night because Doug would be teaching, and the kids would still be at their parties.

By the way, KFC is not often on my radar in America, but here it's like a beacon of light.

See the quote on the cup..."so good."

Then Keira saw this (we usually don't walk to this side of the mall):

And she said, "Alakazoo."

I have no idea what that means, but she wanted to go check it out.

I inquired, and they said she could stay for an hour for the equivalent of $4.

They took my phone number in case they needed to contact me, because...parents drop their kids off here while they shop.  In fact, there were ZERO seats to sit on and watch her.

There was not a parent around anywhere, and there were at least three kids inside.

I parked myself on the floor right here in the corner.

I wasn't even leaning on the glass, but downstairs security called the "Alakazoo" man, and he came and told me to move to the couches.

But these couches were not facing where Keira was, so it was very awkward to try and see her for her very first time in a ball pit (ewww!)

She also jumped on the trampoline twice and went down a slide once, but besides that, she stayed in the ball pit "looking for packets."  Packets of what?  I have no idea.  That's just what she told me :)

Then, I got her out after 40 minutes, and we walked four steps and saw this:

A line of animals (see above in the background) you could pick and choose to bounce and ride on for about $2 for 30 minutes.

She switched about 3 times, but decided the first horse the guy gave her was the best.

                                                                           

After all of this "fun," which also included riding a train through the mall for $2 (see left), we did our grocery shopping. 







I can never go hog-wild buying groceries here when I come in a taxi, because I have to carry all the goods by hand to a taxi on the curb outside the mall. 





However, I saw Grits (Quaker brand, no less) for the first time that day, and even though they weren't on my list, I got them anyway.


Alakazoo!