[Lee]

You can't be really serious...with that question or with some of the answers just read above...

This is a hobby far less expensive to enjoy than that of golf or motor boat or horse racing. Or, owning a fishing boat. Or, owning an airplane. Or, auto racing. Collecting master art work. Or, most other hobbies with perhaps the exception of t-shirt button collecting.

There are different levels to all life experiences. Marriage and child rearing included.

I think for anyone to truly love this hobby ~ you paraticularly have to be deeply passionate about owning several pairs of shoes which all seriously stink of fish poop, as well as, continiously having your hands, knees or elbows either in the process of healing from a deep cut or actively bleeding.

You have to look forward to drinking beer with good friends at a koi show, as well as, applauding the other guy at the same koi show with an obviously poorer quality fish than your own who wins a more important award.

Or, not being even slightly insulted for not having any idea on how to do brain surgery on a koi underwater which is a wholly different species than your own and which doesn't speak any language which you know and which cannot tell you it's degree of need or it's true ailment.

It also requires spending endless hours trying to stop a pipe leak in a tropical rain or stealing fuel to keep your air pumps operating post a major hurricane for the only fuel consuming generator you have - while your own food spoils and you are stinking of sweat and you have no fresh food for yourself or wife, but you are keeping your koi food fresh...and, your fish alive and well.

The koi hobby also includes having the deepest respect and actually being in total love being insulted by someone in the hobby who knows far more about fish keeping than yourself. And, growing all the more in love with those who insult you as they really do know more than you about koi keeping and all issues related thereto.

Simply, it is the near the same level of pleasures which are no doubt similar to those seen on the faces of inmates in government operated mental insitutions...who are smiling and laughing through-out each day; for no apparent reason that anyone can tell.

For me, in addition to all the above, there is just no more satisfying hobby than koi keeping.

In fact, I cannot name all of the reasons in this brief opportunity why I love this hobby. However, the above does touch the surface of a few of the reasons...

I suppose there are untold numbers of others, as well.

With my sincerst and warmest hugs from the hot tropiks,

Lee Aronfeld
Grand Cayman