Weather was darn so good in the morning that we were so tempted to drive north, back to the Lake District again. After all, it's just a 1.5 hours drive !
Anyway, it was just a thought. We didn't change our mind to let the boys to decide where they want to go this time. Initially, there were 4 choices. But after some consideration, we have short listed to 1 for them, i.e. Chester Zoo (what kind of choice is that? hehe...). We was so confident that's going to be the best choice for them.
As for the other 3, it's Cadbury Chocolate Factory, Manchester United Football Club and Blackpool seaside resort. Personally, I prefer the Cadbury Chocolate Factory tour (not that I love to eat chocolate). I think KS would prefer to visit the Manchester United Football Club though (not that he is the MU die-hard fans). But for the boys, we are so sure they would pick zoo, be whatever zoo is that. So, zoo we went...
It only took about 45 min from Manchester Novotel to Chester Zoo. At around 10.30 am, we arrived there safe and sound. The admission ticket is quite expensive, £14.95 (adult); £10.95 (children age 3-15). But seeing the boys' sunny happy face, we felt it's worth every pence that we've spent.
Chester Zoo is a zoological garden located in Cheshire in north west England. It was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead and his family, and it's the most-visited wildlife attraction in Britain with more than 1.3 million visitors in year 2007. In the same year, Forbes described it as one of the best fifteen zoos in the world.
To us, Chester Zoo is such an old design zoo. It seems to me that most of its settings are still remain in the year when it was first built. Perhaps it is a great zoo back to 30-40 years ago, but not now. Most of the modern zoos, like Singapore Zoo, is far better than it. *
Many of the animals are kept in the indoor enclosure, and the maintenance seems very minimum. The flying dust, the soggy mud and the stinking smell...Sigh, I just couldn't help but to hold my breathe when walked through it. And then, want to get the hell out from there as faster as possible.
This is not a real turtle, maybe they put it there to fool the kids around?
The so-call aquarium is so small that it contains no special fish species in there.
The reflection of the glass make it difficult for the visitors to look in it with ease.
The monkeys were sitting in there motionless. Who would want to be watched like this, huh?
After walking for just 15 min, I have lost my interest to take photos anymore. Anyway, the boys were not feeling the same, they invited me to take a photo here, in front of a card-board rhino.
The zoo area is very big. It's really tiring to walk from one place to another just to look at one kind of the animal, and that's with no guarantee some more. This is because the zoo simply have too many bushes and trees for them to hide around.*
Whenever KS and I didn't get to see the animals in their designated enclosure, we would crack nasty jokes, like : Look, the zoo-keeper didn't know the lions had made their escape since 6 months ago ! (Seriously, I think there is this possibility lo)
Thank god there was a very little play house somewhere in the middle of no where, that we could stop for a while and catch some fresh air. There was a small ball-ball pool inside there. We thought the boys would have done in 10 min or so. Very wrong...they won't want to leave after 20 min. I really didn't know why the boys felt so much fun playing in it, not that they never play in a bigger pool before. So, I guess size is not a matter to them.
While waiting for them, KS and I sat on the bench out there, shook our legs involuntary and cracked the most silly jokes to kill time. Boy, I started to feel that this would be the most boring day for the both of us.
I had put the camera back to the bag for quite a long time already, until they suddenly show up from there and asked me to take some pictures for them.Another 5 min later, we got to made them to leave that little place and continue the walk to the other part of the zoo. Then,
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1. We took a boat ride, just back-and-fro a small muddy channel, nothing too fascinating about.
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2. We took a simple lunch in a kiosk, foods are sucks.
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3. After lunch, we let the boys played another 30 min in an outdoor playground.
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Actually, we wanted to leave as soon as possible. But the boys were still in such a high mood status. They held the map in hands, studied it seriously then told us they still haven't covered this place and that place. They actually directed us to walk to the place where they thought they could see tigers, cheetah, sea lions, rhinos etc. Again, seeing their full-of-anticipation face, we would only obliged dutifully. Sigh, I really felt breathless to follow the boys who are so energetic and curious about everything.
At around 4 pm, we'd finally made them believe they had indeed covered all of the places stated in the map. But then, they saw the flying-balloons that were sold near the exit / entrance. They kept bugging us to buy one for them. But we really had no energy to entertain them. We just wanted to leave, though tears started to roll in William's eyes.
Before driving back to our hotel in Manchester, we detoured to Chester town cause this town is said to be : A place to experience the old time New England.
Chester is the country town of Cheshire, lying on the Reiver Dee, close to the border with Wales. This was one of the last towns in England to fall to the Normans in the Norman conquest of England. *
Chester has the reputation of being the "English medieval city par excellence", but many of its buildings are from the Victorian era. It has the most complete city walls in Britain, and most sections of the walls are listed Grade 1.
The town of Chester has a picturesque Main Street lined with shops and restaurants.
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The boys were still not very happy, still obsessed for the balloons that can fly up to the sky. Sigh. My heart become soften when William kept asking me to go back to Chester Zoo to buy him one. He said he really really really so want it. Told him the zoo was closed at that time, he asked me what time it was instead. When I told him it was 5 pm, he was so certain the zoo hasn't been closed yet, cause he saw from the banner outside the zoo that : Zoo will be closed at 6 pm. He can read this no problem, can't bluff him. *
In order to cheer them up, we said we would buy them the flying-balloons if we happen to see it in the Chester town. That has helped to motivate them to walk around. Unfortunately, we didn't see such balloons. End up, we bought them some ice cream.
Although tired and warm, we continued to walk a bit further to the end of the main street. *
People are allowed to walk up to the overhead bridge there. *
The Eastgate Clock is a turret clock built above the Eastgate of the ancient walls of Chester. The clock is considered a landmark of Chester, and is the second most photographed timepiece in the United Kingdom after the Clock Tower, Palace of Westminster, popularly known as Big Ben.
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See their not-so-happy face, sigh. I felt guilty for being so mean to them in the zoo, should have just bought them the flying-balloons. *
Looking down the down from the overhead bridge. *
HSBC can be seen in every town we go. I think it must be a very popular bank in England.
Wonder what the building is it? We made a left turn to check it out. *
OK, apparently, it is a Cathedral church. 
Unlike the Chester's commercial street, this place is quiet and peaceful. We took some rest here, then left the town at 6 pm.Just when we were about to reach Manchester, the overhead LED signboard along the highway warned the driver that there was a serious car accident ahead us, and the estimated delay might take 1-2 hours time. We moved like a turtle in the long queue for 20 min, then KS decided to leave the highway when we approached the nearest exit junction.
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Without a detail map on hand, he just drove based on his instinct. He think it's better to drive blindly than waiting in the line. Fine, I have no objection. He asked around, made many turns before we entered the highway again about 1 hour later. Although not a very successful attempt, he managed to cut the queue by a few junctions ahead. By then, the congestion had started to clear, and we finally made our way back to our hotel at around 8 pm.
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We all felt very exhausted that day.
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Same as previous night, I checked the camera before I went to sleep. Aha, this was the day I only took 36 photos, a record low. So, I want to put some hotel's picture in this slot.
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Every Novotel's room has the more or less same design, like this one. A king size bed, and a couch that can be extended into a double bed.
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Bathroom and the toiletry supplement, more or less the same too. 
Get so familiar with the setting that we gradually didn't feel we were actually moving from this Novotel to that Novotel. 
No need to mention about the complimentary coffee mix, tea bag, fresh milk and shortbread, they are all the same.
The boys get so acquainted to the TV programes as well, they knew which one is their favourite channel.
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Boy, after several days, I even felt that the way they sat on the bed and focused on the TV is look the same too...
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