Our first stop was the animal farm. Girl Number 2 is an animal lover and gravitated straight to the goats. We laughed, posed for pictures, and enjoyed the relaxed pace of the farm area.
The goats were friendly, but Girl Number 1 was clearly nervous. She inherited that cautious streak from her mother.
Seeing cows again after a long time felt comforting — there’s something calming about watching large, placid animals grazing.
I couldn’t resist photographing an adorable bunny; it was simply too cute to pass up.
We wandered through the poultry area, where common questions and curious kids made the visit lively.
Overall, it was a fun and relaxed part of the day.
Those fresh eggs on display made me wish I could take a dozen home.
Next we visited the pigs—called “cunyam” or “shwine” by locals. Do you have a colloquial name for pigs where you live?
We watched the real pigs from a distance, then the girls enjoyed climbing onto some playful pig statues.
Later, we made our way to the big cat enclosures.
The tiger was very relaxed and fast asleep—see if you can spot it among the shadows.
We also spent a long time watching the bears. One especially large bear entertained us by swimming and splashing in the water for nearly an hour, a playful and surprisingly graceful display.
The biggest bear captured our attention the most, paddling around and seeming to enjoy every moment.
Watching those huge paws move through the water was oddly mesmerizing.
Girl Number 1 kept a respectful distance from the bear, while Girl Number 2 happily stayed closer to observe.
We also saw leopards lounging and prowling in their enclosure, a beautiful sight that thrilled everyone in our group.
After touring the enclosures we took a ride around the park to rest our feet and enjoy a different perspective of the grounds.
I appreciated the chance to reconnect with nature and to give the kids a hands-on experience with animals they usually only see in books or on screens.
