We caught the bus first thing in the morning, which was just around the corner from where we were staying. It was really nice not having to worry about a car on this trip. We did a lot more walking and some bus riding, but we didn't have any trouble getting where we wanted to go.
The bus ride up to the park was it's own kind of adventure, the views were scenic and the roads slightly resembled an amusement park ride.
A few weeks before our holiday Eli had written an essay about parrots. The essay topic asked which animal he would be if he could be any animal, and he chose the parrot. (Because they can talk and fly, obviously.) Around that time he became obsessed with parrots, and Palmitos Park specialized in exotic birds, so I knew he would appreciate it. As a bonus, they had a performing parrot show, that was possibly the highlight of the trip for Eli, and the highlight of the day for the rest of us. (Well, in close competition with the dolphins.)
After that we saw a few more birds, ate lunch and then made our way to the dolphin pavilion.
The bus ride down the valley went quickly and the kids were itching to swim in the pool that we shared with a few surrounding bungalows. We had it all to ourselves, which made sense because it was SO COLD. It was colder than the ocean water. We all got in, but not for long. Mostly we just laid in the sunshine will the kids dipped their toes.