In the Jungle. the mighty jungle
The lion Sleeps tonight
In the jungle , the quiet jungle
The Lion Sleeps tonight
AND HEREEEEE’S SIMBA!
Category Archives: animals
Animal Kingdom At Christmas
With the Orlando Eye down for the count Joe and I put our heads together to come up with a plan B. Now when you are in Orlando and your BFF works for Disney World, what is the most logical conclusion for a Plan B? Why, go to one of the parks , of course!
My very favorite park is Animal Kingdom because of the animals. We figured we could get The Kilimanjaro Safari ride in and maybe the Lion King Show before the park closed for the day.
I love the bridge where we can see the Mountain. I always have to stop and take a picture there. Usually there’s a park photographer too because its such a popular vista.
The park was pretty slow so we were able to get on the safari ride pretty quickly.
A lot of the animals were out of sight waiting for the evening feeding but that meant that I got to see some that I’ve missed in the past.
There was a lovely bright colored bird. The driver told us its name but I don’t remember it now.
Of course the elephants can’t hide
and there were giraffes.
The best were the big cats and of the big cats, the lions.
We even got a roar out of the male before he laid down for his nap!
Too soon it was time to move on if we wanted to see the Lion King Show.
Orlando Sealife Aquarium
Sea World it’s not. There are no killer whale shows or chances to swim with dolphins but as little aquariums go this is a fine educational experience.
As an aquarium aficionado I am really glad we went to this but if you are looking for the big WOW factor I don’t think you will find it here. This is great for youngsters. I saw many with their noses pressed to the glass.
There is no Great Ocean Tank like in Boston but they do have a 360 degree Underwater tunnel. Those are always fun. You get to walk through the clear tunnel while fish and rays swim over and under and around you. Pretty cool.
They didn’t have a mermaid tank like they did in new Orleans but they did have a pretty spectacular jelly fish display.
Thus was really my favorite. The lights in all aquariums are dim so the animals are not bothered but the lights are very dim in the jelly fish section. Glowing models suspended from the ceiling light the way to the wall of the tank which is filled with floating jelly fish.
The ray tank was fun. It’s really hard to get a good shot of these guys. They are fast! No flash photography allowed. The light bothers the animals.
There’s a scavenger hunt for the kids. Joe, of course, had to participate. In each gallery there was something the kids needed to find. Once they spotted it there was a place to stamp your card. If you found all of the items there was a little prize at the end.
The emphasis here is on education and I have to say they did a great job at that. This is the perfect size aquarium to introduce the next generation to the beauty and importance of the oceans of the world.
Hurricane Patricia
Well all that threatening weather finally came to a head. It took the remnants of Hurricane Patricia to push it over the edge. As hurricanes go there wasn’t much left after getting ripped up on the mountains in Mexico but it was enough. It was like a nor’easter in New England but not a Hurricane. There was a lot of rain and some pretty good wind gusts.
There were reports of a tornado out by the airport but we weren’t anywhere near that and there ween’t any reports of damage.
We were on the way to take a boat tour of the bayou when we got the call. They were canceling all tours because of the wind gusts. I was disappointed but better safe than sorry. We were in the cab heading there when we got the call so we had the driver drop us off at the Aquarium instead.
I know people who say once you’ve seen one aquarium you’ve seen them all but I disagree. I like fish, the ocean and seeing different exhibits.
Every aquarium shows off their collections differently and can even have different animals. A perfect example is the New Orleans Aquarium that has a mermaid exhibit.
I’ve only seen that in one other place, Weeki Wachee Springs, a Florida State Park.
They also had an Omni Theater. They only had one movie playing that day and it’s a good thing. If they had choices I might have picked something different but this movie turned out to be excellent.
It was Hurricane on The Bayou about Hurricane Katrina and I thought I’d seen hundreds of hours of footage but this was outstanding. This amazing film tells the story of Hurricane Katrina and the impact that Louisiana’s disappearing wetlands has on hurricane protection. It also shows the survival of a region, the rebirth of nature and the spirit of humanity. Winner of 4 Giant Screen Cinema Association Achievement Awards
If you can get to see it, I highly recommend it.
After spending the morning at the Aquarium we finally headed back to the Hotel. The afternoon was spent watching a movie in our room. That’s something we don’t do every vacation!
Buckhorn Saloon and Museum
Located in the heart of San Antonio, 2 blocks from the Alamo and 1 block from the Riverwalk, it was easy to get the tour itinerary back on track after our riverboat ride. The rain was still holding off but at least we’d be inside if the skies did decide to open up.
The Buckhorn Saloon and Texas Ranger Museum is a taste of the Old West. The walls are covered with stuffed animal heads. If you are a fan of taxidermy you will love this place.
As you enter the museum you’ll come face to face with a long horn steer.
Other preserved animals follow.
The Texas ranger museum is interesting but I really hoped Chuck Norris would show up to give a tour. (Walker, Texas Ranger)
One of the most interesting exhibits in my opinion was the map of Texas with all the different Texas Ranger Badges.
But by then I was surprised to discover that I was getting pretty tired so after exploring the museum a bit I wandered back to the saloon to relax until the tour was ready to move on to the next stop.