Taipei: Our Taipei Zoo Game Plan

February 13, 2013 — Taipei Zoo

Even though we lived in Taipei, we rarely went to the zoo. Just imagining the holiday crowds was usually enough to make me give up—and during Lunar New Year, the place was bound to be packed ~.~'"

But today I couldn't resist taking the kids outside, so off we went.

Taipei Zoo on a Lunar New Year holiday afternoon — A cloudy afternoon with occasional rain turned out to be a good time to dodge the crowds.

Crowded attractions can still be manageable if you have a game plan.

First, don't join the crush on the first day of Lunar New Year. Second, blue skies may be perfect for an outing, but they also attract everyone else—best avoided ^.^ Third, even if crowds are inevitable, there is no need to leave first thing in the morning. With children along, everyone has only so much energy.

The conclusion: do the opposite of everyone else ^.^

A scene from the journey to Taipei Zoo — Leaving at two meant there was no need to rush the kids out early.

So on the fourth day of Lunar New Year, with cloudy skies and occasional rain, we set out for Taipei Zoo at two in the afternoon ^.^ Cars were leaving the riverside parking lot one after another, and we quickly found a space and headed inside.

Our route was simple: see the koalas near the entrance, then take the shuttle train uphill to visit the penguins.

A scene near the entrance of Taipei Zoo — We began with the exhibits near the entrance.

The Taipei Zoo shuttle train and its route — Next came the shuttle train toward the upper part of the zoo.

A scene from the upper exhibits at Taipei Zoo — From the upper exhibits, we could take our time walking downhill.

After that, we could slowly wander downhill and explore along the way ^.^

An animal exhibit along Taipei Zoo's downhill route — We wandered through the animal exhibits on the way down.

First up was the leopard cat, also locally known as a mountain cat or “lin-yi.”

A leopard cat at Taipei Zoo — A leopard cat, also locally called a mountain cat or lin-yi.

Then came the Formosan black bear.

A Formosan black bear at Taipei Zoo — A Formosan black bear along our route.

Eventually we reached a clock decorated with the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac.

The Chinese zodiac clock at Taipei Zoo — A zodiac-themed clock appeared along the way.

“Rainforest Shop?!” The name tempted us into making a special loop to look for the Bengal tiger from Life of Pi… only to find absolutely nobody home >.<'"