Photos from Day 4

I awoke around 7:30 AM and looked over to see that Zander was awake in the sofabed. I went over to snuggle with him and then got up to start the packing.

Stuff was strewn about the room, so I took a semi-structured approach, working across the hotel room in sections. Zander and I chatted as I unpacked, then I opened the darkening curtain so that we could get some light in. Zevan and Doug got up, and the boys played with their new stuffed animals/souvenirs while Doug showered and then we both continued packing. Doug took the boys to get breakfast, while I packed and showered.

We asked the boys what they would like to do today and they chose the zoo to see some animals that we didn’t get to see yesterday. So I grabbed a bagel with cream cheese while they finished loading up the car. And then we checked out and headed to the zoo.

We asked the boys what animals they wanted to see today that they missed. Zevan said toucans (?) and Zander said koala bears. I also really wanted to see the koala bears. Zevan also definitely wanted to ride the Skyfari sky ride.

We walked up to through Absolutely Apes and the Parker Aviary on the way to the Owens Rain Forest Aviary. We spotted a lot of the birds from the guide board. I found myself wishing they had the guide cards in the aviaries, like they do at the Wild Animal Park at Disney World.

We then walked through Sun Bear Forest and passed the Lion tailed Macaques on the way to catch the Express Bus to take us closer to the koalas. We got on the bus and took a nice ride up to the next stop, which took us around the elephants and giraffes. When we got off the bus, we took that loop by foot and leisurely observed the elephants, who were much closer to us than we usually get to see at our own Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. They also have more elephants than we do.

We also viewed the giant anteater, capybaras, tapirs and few more species. Then we took a short walk over to the Koala Exhibit. They were all asleep, curled around branches in the trees. Oh, they were so ADORABLE! I just love them.

We grabbed lunch at Sydney’s Grill, where we discussed the timetable for the rest of the trip. We figured that we had enough time to take the Skyfari, visit the polar bears, take the Skyfari back to the exit, and then leave with enough time to return the rental car, and get to the airport on time.

We all decided that if we had time and money, we wished we could stay longer in San Diego. Zander even said he’d like to live here. Yep, me too!

Another discussion ensued about Zander and Zevan wanting to add yet another animal to their collection. Lots of begging and pretty pleases from the ZBoys. I refused. Then I realized that I do have some leverage – their allowance. So we asked them if they would be willing to give up 2 weeks worth of allowance in order to buy another stuffed animal from the zoo. “That’s $10!” Zander exclaimed. After a couple of minutes, he decided it would be worth it.

So we finished up lunch and headed toward the Skyfari area, took it across, visited the polar bears, and then took the Skyfari back to the exit.

When we hit the gift shop on the way out, Zevan was able to immediately pick out a Komodo dragon. Zander had a much harder time deciding. He really deliberated over several animals, and couldn’t make a firm decision. I mentioned to him that it is harder to pick something out when it’s his own money. He finally decided on a peacock.

And we headed out to return the rental car – and now here we are in the airport, waiting to board our flight.

Bye San Diego!