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Published: January 30th 2015
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Day 9 – Jan. 19, 2015 – San Diego, CA – Weather forecast: cloudy and cool – actual was sunny and pleasantly warm in the mid 60’s F Today there was no cloud or fog as the weather forecaster had predicted on last evening’s news and a brilliant sun came out from over the mountains backing San Diego.
After breakfast I took a quick walk to orient myself to where the transit system, the Metropolitan Transit System , had its stops. We thought that it would wiser to use the bus system to go to the Zoo instead of relying on the car. This in the end was a good choice as though the traffic was not busy in the downtown core due to the holiday the area around the Zoo and Balboa Park was quite congested, especially at closing time for the Zoo.
We walked from the hotel to Broadway Ave and caught Bus 215, which dropped us off directly in front of the Zoo. The MTS has a senior’s rate of $1.10, which made the ride all the more pleasant.
At the Zoo we had a quarter
mile walk to the ticket booths where we asked which generated the better reduction in the entrance fee, our AAA/CAA rate or the $5 discount coupon we found in a tour book; the coupon won out. After paying $83 for the two of us we started our day in the park with a show of some talented avian friends who were with their trainer, putting on a show right beside the entrance gate.
Looking over the site map we decided that we could not see the entire park in a day so selected to go toward the Elephant Odyssey and Panda Canyon; both of which were on the backside of the park. To save ourselves some walking we took the Skyfari, a cable car systems that transverses the park and saved us from a thirty minute walk. The ride was included in our entrance fees, otherwise it would have cost us $4.00 per person each way.
Once we got off we made our way to the Elephant Odyssey area, a three-acre+ section of the park set aside for these large beasties. One of the principle components of the Zoo is education and everywhere you
turned there were clearly written signs explaining the exhibits and the animals found there. In addition there were information stations, manned primarily by volunteers, to explain and demonstrate various aspects related to the principal animals in the exhibit. Near the elephants a volunteer had actual physical examples of elephant molars, tusks, and poo.
In the Elephant Odyssey we came upon their elephant Care Center, where the veterinarians attended to all the health needs of the pachyderms. While we were there one elephant was receiving a much-needed pedicure. The elephant stuck its foot through a special opening in the cage while the vet used a large steel file on the toes of one foot then applied some cream to each toe. While she was doing this procedure another handler was distracting the elephant with treats.
After our visit with the elephants we continued our circle tour of the enclosure ending up at the Saber Tooth Grill where we had a simple lunch of cheese burgers, fries and a drink each for a mere $30 total.
Portions of the Zoo, which by the way is a private non-profit organization, were under redevelopment so
some pathways that would have made cutting across the park much more convenient were inaccessible. So we had to wend our way through a number of exhibits to locate the Pandas. One of the most notable was the exhibit from Australia where we saw a number of koalas. Most were sleeping but a few decided to entertain us by moving about their “trees” to their feeding stations.
After leaving that exhibit several handlers asked everyone to stay on the walkway as they brought out a cheetah, which they were walking on a leash, accompanied by its dog friend, to the outdoor stage for a demonstration. The handlers have found that the dog buddy has a calming effect on the big cat.
Near the cheetah enclosure there was a display of some other African inhabitants: a rhino, a herd of giraffes, a zebra, and a flock of flamingos to name a few.
Continuing on our journey to the Pandas we came to the Sun Bear Trail, which led us through a valley under a canopy of foliage where we encountered a number of animals from the jungles of Southeast Asia. Finally we
arrived at the Panda enclosure where we stood in line for half an hour for a brief viewing of the bears.
Fortunately for us it was feeding time and two pandas, a mother and cub, in two separate enclosures were munching away on bamboo. As the handler explained, the bamboo was very high in fiber but low in nutrition, so a great deal had to be consumed on a daily basis. This results in a high level of poo as it passes through the pandas quick rapidly.
The mother panda was slated to be returned to China in the next year as her 10 year visit to the USA was nearing an end and the cub will likely go back in two years to be entered into the Chinese breeding program.
After our visit we took a unique ride on an outdoor escalator back up to the area near the exit where we encountered a large flock of flamingoes having a grand old time in their private watering hole.
We took the bus back to the city core but got off too early so had a considerable walk
back to the hotel but as it was still light and the city was quiet we felt safe. Unfortunately, like many large cities, there were a large number of street people pushing their shopping carts full of belongings, seeking places to settle down for the night. At least the climate in San Diego is more amenable for sleeping outdoors than is Ontario during the winter.
Back at the room we relaxed over a glass of wine, read and then went for diner at the restaurant owned by the hotel.
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