Upon entering the park, we were confronted by the Tree - this is a very cool giant tree sculpture with animal figures worked into the bark. It was fun to try to identify all the critters in there, and as we traveled around the tree, each new angle revealed new creatures to discover. I thought it was very well done.
We looked at some animals, including a shark-looking catfish, a digging porcupine, some big storks, a pair of parrots, and the flamingos. One flamingo decided it was time to put on a little show, and was running around, flapping his wings in full mating display. We crossed the bridge into Africa, had a quick lunch, and then hopped on the Kilimanjaro Safari. This is a bus trip purportedly through the African savannah. They have lot of animals roaming around, and a few came very close to the truck, including a rhino, and a mother and baby giraffe. That was pretty cool.
After this, we took the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. The highlight was the baby gorilla. It was apparently 5 months old, and was taking a nap on the ground in the shade. It was so relaxed it practically looked deceased. But she was awfully cute. Mom didn't like everyone looking at her baby and picked her up. We also went through an aviary that had a number of colorful birds, including a striking violet-backed starling (which, alas, I got video of, rather than a picture).
As we were finishing this, we got a call from another part of our group. They had found the DINOSAUR ride, and thought the Things might like to try it. So we trudged down to DinoLand USA. A quick look at the descriptive sign (dark, shaking around, thrill ride) told us that Calvin would not like it, so Hobbes and I went in. And let me tell you, Calvin would not have enjoyed it. It was very dark, and every time you went around a corner, a giant dinosaur head pops out of the darkness at you. Pretty intense. And loud. I'm not sure Hobbes liked it that much; heck, I'm not sure I enjoyed it. But we survived and bought a souvenir.
Calvin was fading fast at this point. He was hot and tired and cranky. I tried to get him interested in going to It's Tough to be a Bug! (a Bug's Life-themed short movie) - no dice. How about the Kali River Rapids floom ride? Nope. Sigh. We decided to do the petting zoo, sorry, Affection Section, and call it a day. A short train ride on the Wildlife Express took us to Rafiki's Planet Watch. Before petting, we went into the (air conditioned!) Conservation Station and saw big insects, snakes, and talked to a lady about the food they feed the animals there. Then we went out to pat the goats and sheep. They also had a cow, some miniature donkeys, a pig and a llama, but they weren't very pattable. Calvin and Hobbes really enjoyed this, and it was a good way to end the day.
The Things were so exhausted when we got back to the house that they had to swim in the pool for a few hours to rest.
Tomorrow - Calvin's Birthday!
Today's Scorecard
| Ride | Me | Sweetie | Hobbes | Calvin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Island Trails | C | B | A- | B |
| Kilimanjaro Safaris | A | A | A | A |
| Pangani Forest Exploration Trail | B | A- | A- | B+ |
| DINOSAUR | B | n/a | D | n/a |
| Wildlife Express Train | C | B | C | |
| Conservation Station | B | B- | A | |
| Affection Section | D | C- | A | B+ |
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