I thought it would be a good idea to take the kids to the zoo. Zoo Ave. is a zoo and ecological reserve located in La Garita, Costa Rica about 30-40 minutes from San Jose, give or take traffic. I’ve taken my mother, father, and sister here. It’s a great way to walk through the fresh air and get a close up look at a lot of species that are otherwise difficult to see in the jungles.

The kids were thrilled to be in the car, and we arrived full of hope and promise like Hansel and Gretel stumbling upon the candy house. After paying the entrance, I would have thought I was walking through this lovely zoo with a witch and a warlock.

The macaws greeted us on the first trail. The Zoo raises funds to help educate the public and also offers services to rehabilitate wounded and discarded wild animals that at one time someone thought would make a good pet. The moment we left the parrots, the trip went down hill.

Coco, who’s danced in this zoo like Dorothy on her way to Oz, suddenly at the age of seven decided she was scared of 3/4 of the animals. That doesn’t leave much room for fun. When we approached the crocodile snoozing in the sun, she cowered behind me and refused to look.

The nanny, Addy, and I decided to enjoy the view and stared at the thing. It looked artificial. Finally, we saw the nose holes move in and out and we moved on to the deer. Addison wasn’t impressed. We moved on.

After the titi monkeys - an endangered monkey in Costa Rica - Addison had a melt down. Coco perked up a bit at the monkey exhibit. And then we approached the ostrich display, she wandered around with a stick and poked at the fence. If I hadn’t pointed out the avestruz, she’d have missed them.

And I'm here because???

I wondered that until we hit the end of the zoo. They've added a cute little soda. With an espresso machine! Perhaps it was a long way to come for a coffee, but what better company than a peacock to share a morning with. No matter what my kids think.