{"id":2400,"date":"2011-08-06T05:26:07","date_gmt":"2011-08-06T05:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.johnpedroza.com\/blog1\/?p=2400"},"modified":"2011-08-06T05:26:07","modified_gmt":"2011-08-06T05:26:07","slug":"the-chapultepec-park-the-zoo-section","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.johnpedroza.com\/blog1\/the-chapultepec-park-the-zoo-section\/","title":{"rendered":"The Chapultepec Park: The Zoo Section"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Denise and I are smiling. AJ is wondering if the goat is going to jump on us.<\/p><\/div>\n

In Chapultepec Park I saw many\u00a0food vendors but despite it’s name you I did not find one grasshopper. I\u00a0don’t know what was up with that, I guess the Aztecs ate them all. In case your not aware Chapultepec comes from \u00a0the Nahuatl (ancient Aztec language) word meaning “place with the grasshopper.” Even so, Denise was very disappointed in not being able to\u00a0dine on\u00a0roasted 6\u00a0legged creatures.<\/p>\n

Trying to cheer Denise up we headed to to the Chapultepec Zoo. Nope, no grasshoppers there either, but AJ did have a mission.\u00a0As soon as we got through the gates of the zoo\u00a0AJ declared he wanted to see two things: Pandas and Giraffes. Luckily, Chapultepec Zoo has both.<\/p>\n

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Hard to say if AJ enjoyed the fake panda more than the real one.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

The zoo for us was a great choice for two reasons. First, zoos are very children tolerant. Basically, if you are ever in a city and need to find something to do for your children, find a zoo. Second, in Mexico City the zoo is free! Well\u00a0entrance to the zoo is free.\u00a0ANYTHING other than looking animals will cost you and I do mean ANYTHING. You want to play in the\u00a0Butterfly Palace? It will cost you.\u00a0You\u00a0want to check out the cool snake temple? It will cost you.\u00a0 Need to go to the bathroom? It will cost you. You getting hungry and feeling the need for\u00a0some McNuggets? It will\u00a0cost you. Oh well, but then again, what made you think they were giving away free food\u00a0in Mexico?!\u00a0 Actually, it isn’t that bad, although I am guessing $22 pesos ($2 dollars US)\u00a0for an ice cream cone and 4 McNuggets\u00a0is expensive to the average Mexican, it seemed rather normal priced to me. Also, paying\u00a0 5 pesos (.40cents US) for a decently clean restroom with toilet paper also seemed really reasonable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Overall, we enjoyed Chapultepec park a lot. The zoo was very well laid out and it was fun to see all the animals. After going to the zoo we strolled through Chapultepec Park and saw all the vendors. It is hard to describe what it is like running the gauntlet of people trying to sell you everything from hot dogs, to fake poop, or\u00a0 a picture with your favorite Mexican cartoon character (apparently Barney is big in Mexico City). I did take this little video in attempt to get the atmosphere:
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