We're Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo...

Finally, here's the zoo post.  More than a month behind schedule.  At this point it's quite anticlimactic to even write about. Still, we had a great time and I'm glad that we went.

Unlike our LegoLand experience, we went to the San Diego Zoo with some research in hand and a plan in mind. For those that don't know, in addition to being world class, the San Diego Zoo is also challenging in that it has quite a bit of topography. Tackling suck hills and valleys with a preschooler and a toddler was not something that we thought would be fun.

So with a little planning, we figured out how we could hit the highlight of the zoo (the pandas of course!) while also seeing what Cruz and Whitney asked specifically to see (elephants and koalas).

After our arrival shortly after opening, we quickly made a visit to the Discovery Outpost, AKA the children's zoo.  This was really a time filler as there was about a half hour difference from the zoo opening to the start of the Skyfari.

By using this aerial tram, we could avoid the climb up the hill to the get to the panda exhibit. Besides, riding any gondola or tram is always a kid highlight, so we were off to a good start.

Our animal viewing then began in earnest with the polar bears. After a brief sojourn including a variety of birds and zebras and such, we then hit the panda exhibit. Since we were early in the day there was hardly a wait and some of the little guys were even moving about.

"I'm sleeping, not dead."

Somehow I think their majesty of the pandas were lost on the kids, but Sue and I certainly appreciated it. After lunch we then used some moving walkways to go back up a hill where we saw lions and leopards, and then the elephants.

Making now our way down the hill we saw a bunch of other animals and when we reached the bottom we were able to see the koalas.

Finally, we concluded our zoo visit by taking the guided bus tour.  Again no wait and it was the perfect way to finish the day since we got to see other parts of the zoo that we weren't able to see yet.

It might not seem that we did much, but trust me, we saw quite a lot. Especially when you consider that we had to accomplish all this before Whitney's nap time. I think that if we had 3 days, we could have really seen the whole park.  If we didn't have to leave early for naps, then I think we could do it in two.

We'll certainly be back!