Day 3 - Animal Kingdom

Today we went to Animal Kingdom. This park was built in 1998, and we did not go on our last trip, so this was our first time. Walking into the park, it was not at all showy like the others. There was no huge globe or hat to make a statement, but instead, you walked in through a forested area. It really felt like you were walking on a rain forest path. The park was divided into several countries that each had different rides and exhibits.

I would say Animal Kingdom is a cross between an amusement park and a zoo. We walked through a zoo-type area that had tigers. They were lounging about as tigers do. We also saw a hippo, from the top in this picture. You can walk down below the hippo pond and see into the water from the side. It was amazing to see this gigantic animal bobbing around in the water. Also, we found out that hippos don't swim, they walk around on the bottom of the lake. They're such cute animals... but in reality, they are super territorial and aggressive. So no cuddling with hippos, ok?:)

There was another part of the park called Disney Animal Safari. I have never been on a safari in a wild animal park and was way psyched to do one. You wait in a line, like most Disney attractions, then board a large truck with about 10 rows of seats. There is a safari guide, and he is pointing out all of the animals along the way. From the start we saw some crazy animals I'd never seen before - an okapi. It looks like a cross between a zebra and giraffe. They are pretty cute. Then we saw giraffes, wildebeests, funky cows, funky deer, rhinos, lions, ostriches, warthogs... the works. There was a path we drove on, and the driver made every discovery of a new animal seem like the first time he'd ever seen them. It was funny.. One thing I wondered, but realized later, was that there were a ton of animals all in one place, and many of them eat each other. In order for this not to happen at Disney, they have cattle guards and chains between each section. These are things that aren't very obvious as you're driving, but all part of the master plan of Disney.. pretty clever.

From the Safari, we went on to Expedition Everest, a roller coaster that went through Mount Everest. The story behind the ride is that you're on a train up Mount Everest as an explorer, but you have not honored the yeti of the mountain. He is very angry and has ripped up the tracks, and you go on this death ride all through the mountain, mostly in the dark. Near the end of the ride, you come face to face with the yeti... in the dark. I'll have to admit, it's pretty scary. I wasn't feeling the best when I got off the ride. Not because of the scary factor, but because of the queasy factor. We went and ate some barbecue and I quickly felt better:).

We ended the day with the Jammin' Jungle Parade and hit the sack.