Life's a Beach | Expat Life in Playa del Carmen

Our first full day in Mexico City was sunny and warm. Warm enough for shorts and flip flops but, having learned my lesson in Monterrey and Guadalajara, I knew that more formal attire would be expected. So, despite the weather, Rob and I wore long pants and closed shoes. While our scheduled trip to the zoo in Chapultepec Park would be a casual time, I was yet uncertain where we would be dining and decided to play it safe with somewhat dressier clothes.

We grabbed a cab from the hotel and made a quick trip down La Reforma and into the park. Chaplutepec Park, also known as Bosque de Chapultepec,  is a sprawling oasis of 1600 green acres in the center of Mexico City. It is home to the Museum of Anthroplogy, the monument to the Ninos Heroes, the Natural History Museum, the Botanical Gardens, the Modern Art Museum, an amusement park and the Chapultepec Zoo among many other things. Criss-crossed by miles and miles of bike and walking paths, the park is well used and enjoyed by visitors and local residents alike. The park is bisected by the beautiful La Reforma boulevard and is bordered by some of Mexico City's most distinguished neighborhoods, including my new favorite Polanco...more on that later.

I'm not sure a lot of people think of Mexico City as a great travel destination for families with kids. I know I didn't but I certainly knew that a trip to the zoo would be a fun family activity and keep me in good standing with my kids. Truth be told, Rob and I have spent many an afternoon wandering through zoos and aquariums. I have lost count of how many trips we have made to the New England Aquarium in Boston and we will most likely find ourselves there again this summer! We have seen some good zoos and some not-so-good zoos in our travels. I think I would count this one somewhere in the middle of the pack. It's not the prettiest zoo but it was quite clean and the animals we saw appeared to be calm and well cared for. They all seemed to be well fed and in suitable enclosures with shelter and shade and access to water.

The zoo provided nice signage (en espanol) for each of the exhibits and plenty of stationary maps to help you navigate through. Entrance to the zoo is free, making for an affordable family outing, but there is a charge to enter several of the specialized exhibits such as the herpetarium and the butterfly aviary. There is also a food court inside offering all kinds of fast food and cold drinks. One of the things I particularly noticed and appreciated was a concerted effort to have indigenous wildlife well represented, particularly species at risk of extinction. Much of the signage throughout the property provided information specific to the species represented but also showed its proliferation or lack thereof and suggested ways in which the animals might be protected. Good information to kids and grownups alike.

While of course, like most zoos, the big draw for North American children seems to be the collection of animals from the continent of Africa. The giraffes, hippos, rhinos and, of course, the big cats seem to be perennial favorites and were well represented here. My favorites tend to lean in the direction of the polar bears, seals and sea lions. I am also a big otter fan. I was a bit disappointed to only find one lowly sea lion, the other enclosures being empty on this day. What was incredibly cool was to see the giant pandas Xiu Hua, Shuan Shuan and Xin Xin. Mexico holds the distinction of being the only country, other than China, to successfully breed giant pandas in captivity so it was very exciting to have the chance to see them. Sadly, a few days after we returned home to Playa, Xiu Hua, the oldest at age 28, died of natural causes.

RIP Xiu Hua

Fortunately, because we were there off-season when everyone seems to leave the city and head toward the coast, there were not very many people at the zoo. Unfortunately, because it was off-season, many of the displays were under repair or being revamped in some way and many of the animals were out of site. Without hordes of families and school groups to accommodate this would be the best time to do maintenance and give the animals some quiet time. Too bad for us but good for the park. Still, we made it all the way through, had a great time and made it out in time to make it to our lunch reservation at Mexico's top rated restaurant.

Next: Our lunch with the kids at Pujol!