October 26: the zoo!

On Sunday we visited the zoo in Cuenca. It is nothing like any zoo I've been to. First of all, the road to it is not paved, and is a steep dirt road up a mountain side! Here are the kids at the zoo parking lot, looking over the city of Cuenca.

To get inside the zoo, we climbed up the hill on mud, dirt, and slick planks of wood. I'm glad it was a fairly dry day, or else we could have slid down the whole mountain! 

Once inside the zoo, the mud, dirt, rock, and planks continued as we climbed further up the mountain. The zoo is laid out in a figure out form, so we saw animals as we went up the hill and down, joining with a cafeteria area mid way. 

All of the animals have been rescued from private owners (pets) or they were injured in the wild and couldn't be rehabilitated. 

We saw the Andean bear, which has the nickname "glasses bear". The bear was so close I was worried about safety! We also saw a lion and lioness, condor, macaws and parrots, pumas, ocelots, a giant rodent, a dead opposum (dead on the path, not a part of the zoo), 3 species of monkeys, Galapagos turtles, and a peacock that attacked Bill's shoe. Sorry most of the animal pictures are on our inaccessible nice camera. But here are some photos of the kids. 

Afterwards we strolled back through town and enjoyed a nice afternoon in the park. 

Alex enjoying a hot chocolate!

Maddy dancing and drinking hot chocolate. 

A great Sunday! We hope you all had a great weekend! Have a happy Halloween!