See that photo above? That is my idea of a vacation. You go someplace a little bit off the beaten track (that is not my usual couch), you spend some time admiring the view, then you go back to the way things were before. It helps you appreciate what you have while giving you the tiniest glimpse into the scary world of the way other capybaras live. I have no desire to emulate Melly and Coral by flying off to some remote corner of the globe to see capybaras I do not even know. (In case you weren’t aware, they are going to Brazil’s Pantanal in August). That is just crazy. But Melly–and even my dear Rick–thought I should do more than just change couches. You’ll never believe the horrors I went through!
I have been getting better about riding in the car. I don’t even sweat or shake anymore, unless it is a long ride and I start to suspect that we are going to the vet. This ride wasn’t so long so I wasn’t very nervous. I even had my Rick with me, which is good–except that my Rick always goes to the vet with me too.
What the heck? What are we doing here?
Well, it is a Studio 6 Motel in north Austin. Melly said I have to learn to spend the night in a motel if I am going to be a true Capybara Ambassador. She wants me to go up to Dallas/Ft. Worth in September to do the Texas Rustlers’ Guinea Pig Hoedown. That would mean I would have to spend the night in a motel. In case you didn’t know, a motel is NOTHING like my safe, quiet home with all of my stuff and my co-pets and almost nothing scary around. Most motels don’t even allow pets! Why would any human stay in a place with no animals? But Studio 6 does allow pets of all kinds and that’s why Melly chose one of those for us to go to.
Our room wasn’t even on the first floor! I had to climb and climb and climb all the way to the 2nd floor! That is cruel and inhumane.
Finally I made it to the top! Whew! Why do humans stack things like this? I mean I guess it makes sense to stack some things, but houses? How does that make sense?
What is this little table for? It is just getting in my way! I wanted to get on the couch but this thing is totally blocking it.
This bed is not that large either. I don’t think my Rick, Melly and I can all fit on it. Melly will just have to sleep on the couch.
Those are my food bowl and that looks like my food, but this is not my kitchen. I cannot eat here! I reject your attempt to fool me with this bizarre mix of the normal and the strange.
See that? I knocked the food over. I spilled the water. I refused to eat the corn. And then it was time to mark the whole place with my scent, just in case another capybara broke in during the night.
After everything was all marked, I went to my Rick and stayed as close to him as I could. I like to think that my Rick wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me (unlike Melly, who totally would!), but this motel experience was pretty scary.
The closer I am to my Rick, the safer I am.
Finally it was morning. I don’t think I slept at all. Well, maybe just a little. I skipped my whole dinner but I did eat some lettuce in the morning.
Melly actually brought a lot of my stuff. As you can see, she brought one of my beds. And she had all of my food bowls and food there. In the bathroom she had my poop bowl, which I was very good about using. She also brought three of my little rugs. All of that helped because it was stuff that smelled like home and like me. She put it around the hotel room. I was still really nervous but I think it would have been worse if without those things.
Finally it was time to go home. Of course Melly had to make a dozen trips to the car while I waited in the hotel room with my Rick.
I walked nicely down those stupid stairs. They are easier going down than up, but not a lot.
The ordeal is almost over! Here I am walking to the car.
Take me home, city road,
to the place I belong
Buda, Texas,
You’re my home town,
Take me home, city road!