To Zoo or not to Zoo?

When doing research on kid friendly activities in Chiang Mai, the Chiang Mai Zoo kept coming back up on all of the lists.  The boys love going to zoos and as an added bonus, this zoo has a Panda bear. I had also heard how hands on this zoo was and after feeding giraffe and elephant, I thought we must add a few more exotic animals to the list.

First, if visiting this zoo with small children, do not bother bringing a stroller.  This zoo is built on a mountain and has ridiculous hills to climb.  We ended up buying the bus pass to take us around the zoo and found our stroller was just an added hassle. The bus pass will get you a ride around to different stops at the zoo.  You can get off when you want to see an exhibit and look around and then hop on the next bus.  It was a great option. If you have trekked this zoo with out the bus pass...you are amazing!  Our first drop off was the Panda exhibit.

Seeing the Panda after 25 years

Wow. That makes me feel old. I remember waiting in line at our local zoo when I was 6 or 7 years old to see the Panda that had been on loan to the zoo.  It was a big deal and we had to wait forever in that line. When I saw the Chiang Mai zoo had Panda, I wanted the boys to experience them too.  The zoo, currently, only has one Panda, but the kids still enjoyed watching him.  This exhibit is extra on top of admission to the zoo.  

This zoo is huge, but I didn't feel like there was a lot to see there. They were able to feed deer, ostriches, a cheetah, and I guess you can also feed hippopotamus, but we couldn't find them.  After an hour, I was ready to head out of the zoo.  The kids did seem to enjoy themselves, but if you're short on time and debating on going here or another location, I would skip the zoo.

Miguel's - Totally worth searching for

After we left the zoo, we were starving.  They only have a few small food stations at the zoo, so if you miss it at your stop, you may not find one again.  On our way up to the zoo we passed Miguel's, the Mexican place I had been hearing about.  If you want some really good Mexican food, stop here!  They had an amazing selection on their menu.  We had hard shell tacos, nachos, taco salad, burritos...and lemonade!  The portions were huge and everything was delicious.  Made me miss our favorite Mexican places back home.  If we head back up to Chiang Mai in the future, Miguel's will be on my list.

After a very long nap, we headed back out to the Night Bazaar to do some more shopping at Anusarn Market.  They boys all picked out soccer uniforms and the place actually put the kids names and numbers on the backs of the shirts while we waited.  The boys had to have their daily dose of ice cream. (Honestly, when we are on holiday the kids seem to have ice cream everyday!)   We also found some unique items for Christmas gifts.  I love markets, and it seemed like after 3 days of going to them, the boys were warming up to them too.  Day 3 in Chiang Mai was another great day!