We’re nearing a year of lockdown. Who would have thought it would last this long? Not me, and I’m sure not any of you. Well, here we are with no concrete plans yet from the government.
My children have been in lockdown for almost 365 days, in less than two weeks – it would be a COMPLETE year composed of 365 days. My kids have been very patient and understanding on the situation maybe because they have seen how Panget and I have been very careful. Even though they have learned that cousins and friends of theirs has gone out of town for trips, they haven’t asked us or told us they’d want to go out too. They’re quite masunurin to be honest.
A few weeks ago, my sister in law brought up an idea of taking the kids to Avilon Zoo. To be honest, I was skeptical at first because I’ve never been out of town AND I was worried about the crowds. But then Panget and I thought about it and agreed that we would do this for the kids, for their sanity. We all decided to go on a weekday to avoid the crowds.
The drive was an hour’s worth. I’ve never driven out to Rodriguez, Rizal in my life – so I am very grateful to Waze for leading us to the right path. We saw mountains and it got me excited. Driving in Rodriguez was a rejuvenating experience, there weren’t any tall buildings in sight. It felt a bit calming to be honest. It was a good kind of different. We encountered an unexpected detour because the bridge we were supposed to cross was not passable. A good samaritan instructed us where to go. The bridge collapsed due to the recent flood, he said. It took us an additional 15 minutes to get to the zoo. But once we got inside the zoo, it was pure joy to see my kids happy an in awe of the animals they saw.
The weather was good. It was sunny but the wind was cool so it wasn’t as hot as I expected it to be. It was very pleasant actually, the cool wind felt really good, I was enjoying it very much. The nature-y environment and the quiet stillness of the place was such a welcome change of environment. I was able to appreciate the place very much.
Avilon Zoo was bigger than I expected and it was organized, though I would suggest that there be a map placed on the walking grounds. There were numbers are arrows but you can easily get lost roaming the grounds and enjoying the animal sights. The staff were very friendly and very helpful.
For the first time, I wasn’t able to take pictures and I checked on my phone less. I enjoyed this moment I had with my kids. Seeing them excited, hearing them shriek of giddy made me happy with our decision to take them to Avilon Zoo for a much needed break. It was a very memorable experience. I can’t explain it but I appreciated every second we were there, seeing real live animals and seeing my youngest, Shobe get very excited and a bit scared with certain animals, was so enjoyable.
Avilon Zoo is a place worth visiting if you want to take your kids somewhere nearby without the crowds. Just make sure to book early, call ahead to check the head count. I highly suggest you go on a weekday. Our kids are on distance learning, so I don’t think that’s much of a problem. We practically had the zoo to ourselves!
I was quite impressed with Avilon Zoo. It felt like I was transported to a different place (that is still within Metro Manila) The place is clean, the staff – friendly and the animals selection was quite many. My favorite has to be the giraffe. So cute to see them up close. They are gentle beautiful creatures.
Avilon Zoo is worth going to.
Make sure to call the zoo to schedule your trip.
The weather is getting quite hot now so be prepared to bring water to hydrate and to wear comfortable clothes. You’ll be walking most of the time.
