To the ARK AVILON ZOO

To celebrate a decade of togetherness (cheesy), the husband and I decided to take our little one to an indoor zoo just inside the very hot metro, Ark Avilon Zoo.

I really wasn't expecting much, since this is an indoor zoo, the goal was only for our daughter to personally see the animals she gets to read from her books. However, I was still pleasantly surprised by the animals and facilities they have. Which I think is relatively fair for the fee that we paid. Standard entrance fee is P300 per person, and if your height doesn't reach their ticketing table top, you only pay P200. Not bad considering we didn't have to travel far south just to see the animals. Ark Avilon Zoo is located in the very urban centre of Ortigas, Metro Manila, right beside Tiendesitas.

The Ark Avilon Zoo, from its name, is designed and shaped like Noah's Ark. It houses more than 30 species, living in air, land, and water. The "wild" animals, i.e. tiger, lion, puma, jaguar, tapir, and bear, were the first animals to greet us. They were housed inside glass cages, with only cement formed like mountain rocks to remind them of their real home. I actually felt sad for them. Down at the end of the ark are the animals that live in water and air. At one side of the ark, we saw the mini-horse, donkey, and deer. My little one was especially happy to see the donkey. The donkey reminded me so much of Shrek's own Donkey.

The second floor of Ark Avilon Zoo showcases different fishes, birds, and snakes (don't worry, they were all well caged. We just didn't stay too long in that area). The best part of the trip to the zoo, which my daughter enjoyed the most, was the petting area near the goats and sheep. For P20 per half a carrot stick, my little one was able to experience feeding a group of hungry guinea pigs and rabbits. She really enjoyed every minute of it.

The good thing about Ark Avilon Zoo is that you can return to the zoo even after you have left. This gives you the option to eat elsewhere and not be tied to dine in their restaurants, in case you're craving for other food, just like me.

And so upon our return, we met and had a photo op with the zoo's very cute animal resident, Collin. He is the very friendly 2- year old orang-utan who just loves to hold hands with people. Interacting with Collin was also another fun activity to do at the zoo.

Ark Avilon Zoo is a good alternative to distract kids from tv and other gadgets that make up most of their day. A good 2 hours of being around animals can really be refreshing treat this very hot summer.