A zoo called AVILON

The first trip was frustrating in a sense that we arrived at the zoo a little past 4pm. Though the zoo closes at 5pm, the Avilon people did not let us in. The reason they told us was that one hour will not be enough to tour the whole place, 7.25 hectares.

We, Beb and I, felt bad. Really bad. And most of all, we did not "understand" the policy of Avilon. But that's that. So, we head back to Manila from Montalban, Rizal. Luhaan = )

It took us almost 2 years to have the guts to try again to go to Avilon. And when the tour was done, we finally understood why the security guards, then, did not allow us to enter at past four. They had a very good reason. Two hours is indeed not enough to tour, no, to experience Avilon.

This time, we took the route via Philcoa. The last time was from Cubao.

We decided to take public transport to really experience the local flavor of Rizal. We met a little over 9am in Manila. Took an FX to Jollibee, Philcoa then a jeep to Montalban. Philcoa to Avilon will cost PhP28/ pax. Told the driver to drop us off in Avilon. The trip is a bit over an hour. Then we disembarked in a gas station, past twelve, and took a tricycle ride, 30PhP/pax, to Avilon. This is a 15-minute ride on very rough road. Watch your head as the trike driver traverse the course = )

But the whole public transport experience was worth it when we finally entered Avilon, PhP 200/pax, and walked through its 7.25 hectares grounds.

Ben, our braided guide, was a very good investment, PhP 350, to heighten the Avilon experience.

He brought us first to the crocodilean part of the zoo. Warned us about a jumping crocodile. Told us the difference between an alligator and a crocodile. Ushered us to the land of the birds. I finally understood that a peacock is male and his partner is called a peahen. That the peacock had this wonderful feathers to attract a mate so that they can procreate. But that the peacock will eventually lose those magnificent feathers once the mating season ends and when the deed was done. Ostriches were also present. There two legs really looked like dinosaur legs.

We continued our tour and it was a bit unnerving when Ben told us, as we neared a fish pond, if we would like to feed the fish. Ask what should we give the fish, he said raw chickens. Wait. A note to myself. He is asking us if we would like to interact with a chicken eating fish? Did I hear him right?

Apparently, yes. So, we did feed the chicken eating fish. And that was something else. The fish were snapping the PhP10 chicken we were throwing.

After that, Ben introduced us to Joey = )

Joey is a 20 year old orangutan. He is big. Overwhelmingly big. Ben told us that orangutans are afraid of water which explains why their private place was surrounded by water.

By this time, it was close to 2pm. We have been walking for almost one hour and half. Ben decided that we should rest a bit. And this is when we met two year old Trixie. Another orangutan. But she was friendlier. We even took some pictures with her, gangsta style.

Then after eating ice cream, which Trixie was bent on swiping away from our hands, but thanks to her trainer, her funny and tenacious advances were stopped, off to the big cats.

Even as a young boy, the big cats had always mesmerized me. They had a hold on me. And for me to really see them, up close, really close, walking and darting around, though in a cage, I felt alive. I really felt their energy. Their power. I understood the term - wild beasts.

The Sumatran tigers, a pair, were awesome. The male was really active. Walking. Though it was subdued, I heard his beastly growl. Then, Manolo came to view. This magnificent Jaguar. Boy, he is something else. Among the big cats, jaguars or pumas, though they can jump 20 feet into the air, are the unpredictable ones. They do not follow a pattern. Even in the cage, Manolo walks around in no definite pattern. Only one thing is certain. The kill. Compared to Manolo, the leopard on the other cage was a close second.

Then off to snakes, the turtles, the spiders and the small cats. To see a king cobra in a cage, I think, everyone would ask how the keepers ensure that the poisonous snakes are really kept inside the cage. And you know what, I felt a small dose of fear running through my veins when I saw a cage with no poisonous snake in it. I caught myself looking for the snake. Where did it go? Above us or below us? = )

The tour ended with the iguanas. By this time, it was past three. Time for lunch = )

Avilon was an experience. An experience I will recommend to everyone. The animals, I think, are really cared for. And the landscaping was superb. I could see myself having a picnic there.

On a personal note, Avilon is a perfect getaway, last week, to "un-jade" me. To tame the urban soul that's been creeping in unhealthily. To remind myself, I was Nunoy first before Elisier. That I was Elisier first before Sir Fants.

Plus, it was also an appropriate way to hold hands and reconnect with Beb = )