CASE # 008: Holy Week at Tagaytay Part 4

After ng pet show sa ZooRI, we proceeded sa main entrance ng zoo para abangan iyong staff that would lead us to the shuttle bus. Ang sabi kasi sa amin, 11:30am ang meet up sa entrance. Pero 11:35 na pero wala pa rin si Ate Staff. Apparently, hindi lang naman pala kami ang nag-avail ng package. Nung nagtanong kami sa ibang staff, itinuro kami papunta sa isang printed na bus na nakaparada a few meters away.

Nagpulasan lahat papunta sa bus. We wanted to get the best seats so nakipag-unahan na rin kami. Kaso naka-lock pala iyong bus kaya hindi rin kami makapasok. It took another ten minutes bago dumating si Ate Staff na kausap namin nung una dala ang susi at binuksan ang bus. Halos napuno rin ang bus. Nasa sampu rin siguro kami or higit pa. May mga families din na may dalang bata. We waited a few more minutes bago dumating ang driver ng bus.

Hindi aircon iyong bus so we relied on the open window and door for ventilation. Buti na lang at kahit tirik na tirik ang araw ay malamig pa rin ang simoy ng hangin. Habang pinapainit ang makina, inalok pa kami ng drinks ni Manong Driver. Akala namin libre pero may pricelist na nakadikit sa cooler niya. May bayad pala.

May kalayuan din ang Paradizoo from ZooRI. Mga 15 minutes din kami nagbiyahe. From the highway, lumiko iyong bus papasok sa isang private na subdivision na pataas-baba ang daanan. At the end of the seemingly unending road was Paradizoo.

Our tour guide and tour group

They also have an in-house restaurant

Paradizoo covers hectares of farmland converted by the owner to a minizoo, flower and vegetable garden, butterfly sanctuary and honeybee garden. Ang unang stop is mga kahayupan ulit. Farm animals like sheep, pigs, goat, donkeys, horses, cows, camels, rabbits, ducks, and an ostrich. Again, you can feed the animals for an additional fee.  

After the animal farm, we walked through a path walk na dumaan sa mga vegetable plantation nila and led to a beautiful flower garden. May sunflower, roses, at iba pang bulaklak. Kundi lang sa sobrang tirik na araw, masarap sanang tumulala sa mga bulaklak.

Just outside the fence of the flower farm is a small food stall called Zoompia Corner. The witty name refers to the zoo's sumptuous spring rolls which they sell for Php49.00 each. We were enticed to try it kasi fresh ang lahat ng gulay na harvested dun mismo sa farm. In fairness, malaki naman ang lumpia at talagang nakakabusog. Sulit ang Php49.00 pesos mo. May malilit na concrete tables and benches which you can sit into while enjoying your Zoompia.

The Zoompia break was just enough boost as we go uphill. Medyo extra challenge ang pag-akyat sa path walk na mistulang stairs na rin papunta sa vegetable pavilion. Dito pwedeng mamili ng fresh na gulay like lettuce, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, etc. at a reasonable price. Again, harvested from the farm ang mga gulay.

Everything purple

Next stop is isang malaking pavilion na may CR at tindahan ng souvenirs. May mga sari-sari store rin na nagtitinda ng pagkain. Mas maraming wooden tables and benches dito kaya pwedeng kumain at magpahinga.

After our CR business, we went to the butterfly sanctuary and honeybee farm. May additional entrance fee nga lang na Php30.00 on top of sa binayad dun sa tour. Kaya may mga kasamahan kami sa tour na hindi tumuloy at nag-antay na lang dun sa tinatawag nilang Meditation Garden. Pero dahil gusto ko makakita ng butterfly at honeycomb, pumasok kami. Maliit lang ang butterfly sanctuary pero maraming butterflies and flowers din sa loob nung makeshift greenhouse nila.

Hubby and I were so fascinated with the honeybee kaya excited na kaming nagpunta dun. Kaso maliit na room lang pala iyon na may pasilip sa isang honeycomb na nakakulong sa salamin. Maraming interesting na chika si Ate na staff dun about the honey bees, the colony, how the honeycomb is made, and how honey is harvested. Sa sobrang engrossed namin sa chika ni Ate ay hindi namin namalayan na kami na lang pala ang inaantay ng lahat dahil babalik na ulit sa ZooRI yung shuttle.



to be continued....