Then jumped on one of the trams for the ride from the parking lot to the park --
And here we are at the entrance gates --
There were a lot of people at the park today. It's a Saturday and Spring Break has also started at many schools. That is the "Tree of Life" in the background that is the centerpiece of this park.
The tree - an artificial construct - has all kinds of animals carved into the bark. It is huge. We even went to a show "It's Tough Being a Bug," in an theatre underneath of the tree later in the day.
This African Crested Crane was on display as we entered the area -
And we finally saw some pink flamingos (Forry's still looking to find some in the wild to add to his birding life list.) --
Even though they were ALL sleeping!
We watched a show on the "Wonders of Flight" with several trained birds, including this "baby" condor --
And some gorgeous macaws --
Then listened to these colorful African drummers --
They sure could make these steel triangles sing!
By then it was time for lunch. Leslie had scored reservations at the very popular Tusker House --
We were greeted at the door by African Donald Duck --
Tuskers is one of the "character" restaurants, where Disney characters circulate giving autographs and posing for pictures. Here's Goofy --
I'm not sure what Leslie or Forry said to Daffy Duck, but she seems a bit taken aback!
We even got to pose with Mickey Mouse himself --
We spotted this lady, known as Divine, in the trees outside the restaurant. It was fun to watch the expressions on the kids' faces as they realized she was real when she moved from tree to tree --
Next we joined this delightful young man who took us on a safari. He said he loved his job and you could sure tell --
We were loaded into these open-sided trucks for the trip --
A pond full of African crocodiles --
One of several giraffes --
Look at the horns on this bull! The guide said they were hollow, so not nearly as heavy as they appear.
We saw elephants in the distance, but the only one close was heading away from us --
This was the highlight of the safari for me --
There were three rhinos blocking the road --
So close you could have reached out and touched them!
This warthog tickled me as he had to get down on his knees in order to reach the hay --
After our safari trip, we left Africa and headed for Asia and Mount Everest --
Can you believe that we -- especially me! -- rode this roller-coaster ride?
Partway up, you run into an area where the tracks have been torn out by a yeti. The cars drop backwards down into the dark for a l-o-n-g way!
This was just a portion of our day at Animal Kingdom. It's late and I'm tired. Maybe I can share more tomorrow.
It was a fun day with you both at the park today. We are so glad you had fun. Perhaps we will convert you into Disney fanatics before you leave the state.
ReplyDeleteI am giving it my best shot. Gotta really show them all the cool stuff. :-D
ReplyDeleteGlad you guys enjoyed your day!
I loved the Tree of Life, and the African Safari! When I went there they were building that big mountain and roller coaster ride...looks like it turned out great :-)
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