It's all happening at the ZOO

Many would be surprised to find that there is a pretty extensive zoo right in the heart of Mérida. The Parque Zoologico del Centenario was established just over a hundred years ago, and it's a fun place for families to enjoy a refreshing change of pace.

We spent a good portion of Thursday strolling through the park, taking in the scenery, and visiting all the zoo animals. We started by circling the zoo by train, then headed to the playground so the kids could run around and get some exercise.

In the early 1970's, an old Cessna was found in the jungle and added to the playground as a jungle-gym and slide. It's the first thing that catches your eye as you enter the play area, and as you can guess, the kids loved climbing inside to be the pilots. Lots of other families seemed to be enjoying themselves in spite of the heat. (What am I saying? Mexicans don't feel the heat!)

Then it was cotton candy and icy refreshments before heading into the zoo area to see the animals. The lions were pretty lethargic and the hippos stayed cool in the water. The flamingos were having a smackdown, which was disturbing, so we moved on.

I tried to get a closeup shot of a monkey, but the darn things wouldn't sit still, so I settled for a cute little baby deer instead.

After a couple of hours at the zoo, we stopped at the Super Aki to pick up a few household supplies. The kids helped out, so we ended up with Mexican Twinkies and Tang in crazy exotic flavors.

Then it was off to have lunch and frozen mocha frappés at the Olive Cafe on Paseo Montejo. The sun was in full force as we took in the sights of Mexican city life all around us. Lukas did his best to look cool and sophisticated.

Once we were back home, the little guy took a nap while the rest of us headed up to the rooftop to lounge in the hammocks and enjoy the sunshine. Emma was thrilled that she was getting away with doing something 'grown up' while Lukas was sleeping.

For dinner, Jenn prepared tasty 'pollo del horno' (that's baked chicken for you gringos back in NJ). The regular house owners must not do much cooking, because Jenn kept complaining about the lack of a measuring cup and other basic kitchen tools.

At nightfall, a thunderstorm was brewing on the horizon, so we put the kids to bed and took our wine glasses up to the rooftop again to watch the show. As we witnessed the crazy lightning streaking across the sky (at a safe distance, don't worry), the moment was made all the more memorable by the sounds of a local band streets away, practicing Elvis' Jailhouse Rock...in Spanish, of course.