Mysore Zoo: Fantastico

(My son watching elephants)

 On the last Sunday of 2015, we went on a fantastico trip. A trip to the Mysore Zoo with our seven-year-old son.

He had been demanding that we visit the Zoo where he had heard he could see all the animals that he had only seen in pictures or on the television. He also wanted to observe the birds towards which he had developed an interest.

Black Swan

After travelling for nearly four hours, we reached the Mysore Zoo and even I could feel the excitement, of seeing animals up close that too in their natural habitat, building inside me. The little child that hid inside the veil of a grown up was slowly peeking out. As it was very hot and sunny, we equipped ourselves with hats. I purchased a cowboy hat and my son exclaimed I looked like a cow girl! Fantastico!

Sambar Deer

As it was the Christmas vacation, there were plenty of people waiting to get inside. Long queues of school kids in uniforms were being guided around by harried teachers. Invariably my mind wandered to those days when I had gone on school trips and alongside arrived memories of the pranks, the crushes, the laughter and the punishments!

We were asked to dispose whatever plastic item that we carried at a counter as plastic was banned inside the zoo. The packet of biscuits I had inside my bag was transferred into a paper bag supplied by them. I was impressed. They truly cared for the animals.

Rhinocerus

The Mysore zoo is one of the most popular and was well maintained Zoos in India. It is spread over 157 acres and hosts over 168 different species of animals. It was created in 1892 by the then King Chameraja Wodeyar as the Palace Zoo.

There are battery operated cars inside the Zoo that will take you around if walking is not your forte. We preferred walking. My son who is the laziest when it comes to walking proved us wrong. He surprised us with his enthusiasm by hopping around in search of animals reading aloud their names, habitats, food habits and sometimes even the individual names. 

White Swans

We walked around and rested in between on the benches. The cool, green canopy of trees was a pleasant experience after being huddled inside the car for hours. Unlike other zoos where the stench of animal dung and urine makes you want to puke, the Mysore Zoo was different and gave the experience of being inside a forest. The added benefit was that we could watch the animals at close range.

Giraffe

Our favorites were the swans, the deer, the rhinos, the giraffes and the colorful birds. Fun moment was when my son asked for the Rasam deer after he saw the Sambar deer. My son screamed when he saw the ‘Exit’ board and wanted to go back once again. But, our stomachs were rumbling and our legs refused to walk any further. With promises to return, we made him agree to walk out of the Zoo. All in all, we came out of the Zoo smiling.

The good Kerala restaurant outside the Zoo saw to our food needs and we were more than happy tasting some homely food away from home.

Everyday my son wakes up asking when we are going to Mysore Zoo again. And we say, very soon!

P.S: all photos used are mine.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.