I find myself alone again on the third Saturday of January 2010. I did not really want to waste such a beautiful day by staying home stuck to the computer. I had heard about the Ark of Avilon Zoo in Pasig a year or so ago but have never gone there to visit. So I inquired on how to get there and off I went.
I have decided that these weekend trips of mine should have a few ground rules. I want to maximize the adventure so I decided that my solo trips should be done by fully commuting. This means that I can take the train, jeep, bus or tricycle (if I have to) but I cannot use a taxi cab. This is so that I can fully feel that I am exploring my country at its most basic.
So for my trip to the Ark of Avilon, I took the MRT from Taft Station and got off at Ortigas Station. I then walked all the way to Robinson's Place Galleria and from there rode a jeepney going to tiendesitas. For a complete list of routes going to Tiendesitas, this website is very useful:
Ironic thing is I did not see this website before I got to the Ark and so resulted in me walking so much from the corner of C5 all the way to Tiendesitas then to the Ark of Avilon.
The Ark of Avilon looks like how Noah's Ark might have looked like. The theme of the zoo is also along similar lines in that the animals in display are in pairs. There were a lot of random trivia about animals scattered around the place.
One of the highlights of my visit was meeting Colin the Orangutan. He is the first orangutan I have met and I must say that he is the most charming, sweetest Orangutan. I sat down for a picture with him. He posed, actually smiling while the handler took the picture. Then he grabbed a hold of both my hands, laid down on the bench where we sat, and started playing. He is like a little kid, loving it when I tickled him in his underarm pits, his sides and tummy. He kept putting my hands on his lips and kissing my hand. It was one of the sweetest encounters I have ever had with an animal. It is so uncanny how human-like he was.
The second floor is where the snake, lizard and bird displays are. It is also where the petting zoo is. The petting zoo has hamsters and rabbits, sheep, and deers that you can feed for a minimal fee.
Below are some of the things that I found really nice at the place:
the frontage
the roof looks just like how i guess an ark would look like
Colin
like we were old buddies...
a very happy fish
kids feeding the hamsters and bunnies
Overall, a very nice outing for myself if I say so myself. If you are planning on going the way I took, be prepared to WALK. I am not really good at telling distances by feet or meters, but my feet and legs can definitely tell you that they walked a long long way. ^_^
Hi, thank you so much for linking to our website! Glad to hear you enjoyed your outing, and sorry to know that you didn't see our website before going to Ark of Avilon. We do hope to be of more timely help to you in the future. ^_^ Feel free to drop by anytime!
ReplyDelete