Personal {Family, Sunday Trips and Christmas}

It is only fitting that we are nearing Christmas Eve  and I'm posting about this trip which we took two weeks ago. For most families, Christmas means gathering around the table with family to enjoy a hearty Noche Buena with Christmas songs by Jose Marie Chan playing in the background. For so many years that was my Christmas but as I grew older, things ultimately began changing. I remember spending one Christmas alone because travelling to the hometown was out of the question due to sheer volume of passengers who are also making their way home.  This year, we are all home except for my sister who is the one spending Christmas in the big city, thankfully, with relatives. We did, however, got to spend time as a family when she came over for a two-day break from a hectic hospital schedule. It was a Sunday and for the lack of anything better to do, we all decided to go to Father Tropa's Zoo which is about an hour from Dumaguete.

The zoo houses different kinds of animals, from small hamsters to crocodiles. They have monkeys and spotted deer, hawks and crows and other animals that you wouldn't see in any other zoo in the island. There's also a museum manned by a crew of faithfuls who are very willing to chat with you and answer your questions about the zoo and its founder. However, what I love most about the place are the paths lined by tall ipil trees that drape over, meeting in the middle from both sides to create a beautiful canopy that shields visitors from the sun and creates the most lovely dapples of light as the sunlight hits the leaves. The zoo has pockets of these pathways and they are just beautiful. 

The place relies on donations and with all the animals they have to care for, the caretakers can really use all the help they can get. This is the holidays, after all, with families coming home from all parts of the country to spend time and just be together. If you are thinking of ways to do together as a family for the rest of the break, give the zoo a visit. More information on Father Tropa's Zoo Paradise here.