Tortoise Racing at the Owl

the humpty dance

Tortoise racing?...More like Tortoise Humping hahahaha. The picture to the left is an accurate representation of exactly how much action you will get if you were to attend such an event.

the owner/laura's landlord

The Owl normally races crabs but they were unavailable at the time so the owner decided to race tortoises instead.  Lucky me since  I've never been up close and personal with a tortoise.  I felt as if I were in an episode of National Geographic. Back in America, I think the odds of seeing one up close is slim to none so I was excited as can be.

Aside from being able to meet beautiful Mr. Tortoise... doing natural things (haha), the audience turned out to be equally as entertaining.  Some students placed bets and encouraged their picks to win by shouting hilarious things like "Come on, daddy needs a new pair of shoes," and "There goes grocery shopping for a week."  A girl right next to them (I think she was somewhat buzzed)constantly flashed her tortoise in the eyes with her camera flash in hopes to deter him away from crossing the no crossing line.  Before I knew it, her camera was right in the Tortoise's face like a brick wall.  There was a point when all eyes redirected themselves to her, including mine.  Suddenly I hear "If that's not cheating, I don't know what is," from the guy right next to her.  I laughed hysterically.

Munching away on fish and chips, bonding with the friends, people sipping on cocktails, people betting their life savings on tortoise racing, and tortoise humping, with the sounds of nature playing softly in the backround-- this night was jam packed with fun and unforgettable memories.  I think this is a bucket-list must.

Visit the Owl's website here for more details including directions, hours, and contact information.

Race Breakdown:
1. before start of race, the facilitator informs the audience on what type of race will take place.
-last turtle who crosses the finish line last wins
-first turtle who crosses the finish line first wins
-last turtle left in the circle wins
2.  facilitator places boxed turtles in the middle for everyone to notate behavior in order to make a more informed guess on which one will win

3. humans place bets (turtles are identified by the number written on their shells)
4. race begins
5. shouting, picture taking, cheering, boo-ing, absurd remarks
6. race ends
7. winners cash out
8. repeat process using different turtles and different objectives
 
Soooooo much fun!