Wonder and awe...

London is full of many strange and unusual things. In my time here, I've seen Bouncing dogs, men on stilts, women dressed as if they came through a time portal from the 1980s, men dressed as if they came through a time portal from the 1880s, famous celebrities carrying their laundry, Damien Hirst walking down the street the day after winning £111 million in his Sotheby's Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, kids running up walls, a larger than life astroturf covered outdoor living-room, The Queen, wax replicas of world leaders, army men and women covering the streets, elderly women with purple hair and Chanel suits, a lake on the top of a building... the list goes on.

There are, however, many strange things that I have missed seeing. To begin with I apparently missed the Thames Rubber Duckie Race which happened earlier this summer, this was obviously a failure on my part. I have also missed tons of other amazingly odd things I am sure. But I know that there will be loads more interesting things to come.

This week was no different. To begin with on Saturday 26th September 2008 there was a most amazing occurrence: the Great Gorilla Race! Hundreds of men and women ran through London dressed in Gorilla suits. Not only were these Gorillas speedy, they were also glamorous. Some wore tutus, some capes, my particular favorite was a Gorilla who wore a kissing booth.

Imagine, if you will, sitting on the side of the Thames. You are in front of the Tate Modern sitting on a bench listening to the beats of MGMT that are coming from a boom box owned by a pair of Gorillas who are riding inflatable horses. It is a sunny morning. You've got gooey brownies and your friends. Then it happens. You see them. One after another Gorilla's start running by. As if out of Fantasia these Gorillas rush, dance, spin, and stumble past you. What a great morning.

As if seeing hundreds of thousands of Gorillas in costumes weren't enough awe for one week, I also saw a real life pirate. As I browsed through a bookstore during my lunch break the other day I saw a man who could have been the modern day reincarnation of Captain Hook. With his eye patch and missing hand he looked a lot less hostile than J.M. Barrie's literary creation, but caused no less awe than if I had seen a crocodile walking behind him.

London is such a surreal and wonderful city.

Location: All over London, England