Why Not Just Queue Up Another Disney Trip? Link to New TR 6/24 p136!

[MEK]

Originally Posted by mickeysmyboy

I'm soooo far behind on Dis, as usual! But I just read your last post! I LOVE every single picture from the trek!! FAB-U-LOUS!!

Welcome back stranger. So glad you got a little time to DIS today. I know you've been on FB a lot, but I've been waiting for you to update your TR.

Originally Posted by mickeysmyboy

I'm sorry your lunch at Yak and Yeti wasn't fabulous! I didn't know it was a Landrys restaurant, that could be why

50% of the items were good, actually a little bit more if you include my salad minus the tuna. There are no Landry's restaurants in Delaware and I only know that because the waitress was trying to push people to buy a Landry's discount card so she specifically asked where we lived to check on locations.

Originally Posted by mickeysmyboy

Your Flights of Wonders pics are amazing as well! John and I did that show in Oct of 10 and I have to admit it freaked me out a bit!! I'm not a big fan of birds flying too close to me!!

Those birds move pretty fast so I can see where that would be a bit crazy. I know I closed my eyes when one flew towards my camera on stage. That was the whole stick - they wanted two people on stage with cameras and I guess the birds are trained to fly towards the lens.

See, its all coming back to me know.

Originally Posted by KatMark

Great update, MEK. As always pictures are terrific. I'm sorry Yak & Yeti was only okay (we really enjoyed it the time we went, but we had totally different entrees). We have never done Flights of Wonder...think I'll have to add to bucket list.

So glad you liked the pictures!

I think Yak & Yeti totally depends on your entree. They have a sizeable menu and not everything can be great. I would rather they have a smaller menu but all the items be yummy. No worries. I will go back!

Originally Posted by TanzUnited99

Thanks Mary Ellen! No won't be a stranger and am here now!

Yeah! Glad you will be hanging out on the boards even though your TR is almost done. I get so attached to some TR's and I hate to see them end. It's like finishing a good book.

Originally Posted by TanzUnited99

It sure is. I know exactly what you mean about the prices for a t-shirt - I do the same. Wait until the sales to get something I really like - that's if the item isn't sold out by then!

I got a really cute T at the Disney store on sale this fall, but I am saving it for my October trip because it is Halloween themed. It's hard to see it in my drawer and not wear it.

Originally Posted by TanzUnited99

It was the same on our meal - the fireworks were the icing on the cake
I'm definitely sticking around for more great pics!!!!

I remember reading about your meal and you guys did have a fab time!

And I have more pics coming!!

[MEK]

The Lion Sleeps Tonight..........

When Flights Of Wonder was over we meandered over to the Safari and guess what???? Our FP's had come due! Perfect timing or what? I looked at all those people in the standby line and chuckled to myself because while they were standing on their feet for 45 mins I spent the exact same amount of time watching birds fly over my head. Silly people.

When you got on the ride I offered Nicholas my camera. I guess I needed a little break from all the pictures I had already taken today.

So now I bring you the Safari courtesy of Nicholas......





Of course these hippos are nearly as entertaining as the one's I saw in May

Boring



I'm not sure if we were closer in this picture or when I was strapped into a harness during the trek last May



Ho Hum. Just another day on the savannah



I hope there aren't any bees in here.....



What are you all looking at? Haven't you ever seen a giraffe with his head in a tree trunk?



Yum Yum



I think I got a little bit of dirt on my skin



According to the safari driver I have over 200 muscles in my trunk. So why can't I move this old rock?



I just found out that my trunk can double as a vacuum cleaner



Hey - I think there's a baby elephant up my butt









Now here's something you don't see everyday....A rhino right smack in the middle of the trail causing all the safari vehicles to back up



There really wasn't anything to do but wait for Mr Rhino to move on out of the way.





Mr Leopard taking a little siesta



I was really keeping my fingers crossed hoping that Mr Lion or Mrs Lioness would be waiting on their perch to great me. But........



Nothing.

I can barely make our a little sliver of fur.



Drat! Foiled Again! Will I EVER get a decent picture of the Lion????????

I should note that even though Nick was taking all the pictures, I sort of grabbed the camera from him hoping that I might have better luck. I'm sure he thought I was a little maniacal.

Camera back in Nick's hands





Woo Hoo! Santa's reindeer!




So what do you think? Didn't Nick do a great job as Safari photographer? He got a nice variety of animals. All except for the *boo hoo* LION!


Continued in Next Post!

[MEK]

Continued........

While we were on the safari I sort of made an executive decision just to stay in the park until night fall. By the time we got off the safari it was close to 2:30. I figured it would be dark in about 3 more hours and if we didn't take an afternoon break we could also catch the Christmas parade. It was a beautiful day, so why not just go with it and stay until park close? Denny and Nick were cool with it, so we decided to continue our animal adventures by exploring the Pangani trail.

I always enjoy the ducks on this trail







See all those swirly things in the water. Keep you eyes right there.



Why I think I see the shadow of something in the water.



Insert Jaws music here........



What the??????? Let's have another look, shall we?



That hippo kept swimming around in the same path. He would get to the viewing area, turn around and disappear, then reappear in about 10 seconds. He was flying. It was pretty cool. I was mesmerized. But I figured I should probably free up some viewing space for the next person.

Moving on down the Pangani trail



Gorillas





As soon as I saw the gorillas I asked a CM if Lilly was out. They said she was further down the trail.

Gorilla butt





Peek a Boo





All this fellow needs is a beer in one hand and a stogie in the other



There SHE is - little precious Lilly



I can't get over how tiny she is and how little she has grown



I know there is concern that she is underweight, but I don't remember the specifics

Where are you going Lilly?



There you are



I took a lot of pictures of Lilly. Unfortunately most of them were blurry because my camera kept focusing on the trees and stuff in the foreground.



After walking the Pangani trail I realized that I was actually pretty thirsty despite the fact that the temps were perfect. I steered my intrepid co-trekkers over to the Dawa Bar.










We found a seat outside of the Dawa bar pretty easier and I gulped down some water and then I headed over to the bar for one of these little beauties.



This, dear friends, is the ever-popular Lost on Safari and I believe it is made with the jungle juice that is so popular at TH and Boma. Denny asked for a LOS as well, but he didn't love it so I went back and got him some type of African beer.


The good part of Denny not loving his LOS is that I basically got two!!!!!! One problem - I was still pretty thirsty so I drank the first one in no time. I do NOT recommend this as it DOES contain alcohol - something I momentarily forgot! Fortunately, we were not moving anywhere and we basically just chilled for about the next hour until the parade started.

Up Next - Mickey's Jungle Jamming Parade and What time DOES it get dark in central Florida??????????

[Poolrat]

Way to use the FP!!! I love it when that happens.

Fab safari pictures and I have only seen the Lion up once. BUt I keep going back and hoping it is different. Isn't that the definintion of insanity.


2 LOS can knock you down. I didi the same thing where I sucked on down because I was thristy and it was smooth going down. I had a second one and I needed to slow down for a little while.

[norybell]

How cool that the rhino was on the path! What a great opportunity for pics! Love the shots of the hippo, too.

Lilly is so adorable!

My best-ever day at AK was the only time I've ever stayed all the way til closing. Once I decided to do that, I was just so much more relaxed or something -- a better frame of mind for that park, don't you think?

[MEK]

Originally Posted by Poolrat

Way to use the FP!!! I love it when that happens.

Isn't that the best???? It seemed to happen a lot on this trip because so many were NOT using FPs, which makes absolutely no sense to me. This was the strangest trip I have ever had in regards to FP use. Tons of people in the park and in the standby lines, but not utilizing FPs.

Originally Posted by Poolrat

Fab safari pictures and I have only seen the Lion up once. BUt I keep going back and hoping it is different. Isn't that the definintion of insanity.

But when you DID see the lion you got a GREAT shot! I have been on the safari at least once every trip and I have yet to get a good picture of the lion. So frustrating!

Originally Posted by Poolrat

2 LOS can knock you down. I didi the same thing where I sucked on down because I was thristy and it was smooth going down. I had a second one and I needed to slow down for a little while.

Tell me about it. That LOS just tasted so good and I was so thirsty. It went down much too easily and when I stood up I was like....Woooooooo!

Originally Posted by norybell

How cool that the rhino was on the path! What a great opportunity for pics! Love the shots of the hippo, too.

It was pretty cool to see the rhino. It caused three vehicles to stop and I could see the drive in front of us on his radio. I guess they were all trying to get instructions on what to do.

The hippo was super cool. At first I had no idea what was swimming around and then everytime I would try for a picture I would miss him. Finally I just started taking pictures of the tank and I ended up finally getting the hippo in the shot!

Originally Posted by norybell

Lilly is so adorable!

I love Lilly. I saw her first the first time in May 2010 when she was just allowed out in public and I have been very fond of her ever since.

Originally Posted by norybell

My best-ever day at AK was the only time I've ever stayed all the way til closing. Once I decided to do that, I was just so much more relaxed or something -- a better frame of mind for that park, don't you think?

I do! Once we decided to stay we did the same thing. We just sat and enjoyed the scenery and we stopped worrying about what we were going to do next. It really was a great way to spend the day and I'm so glad we decided to do it!

[KatMark]

Oh my....I just loved this update. What great shots you got on safari (love the baby elephants) and you saw the cheetah and got a picture of him (her) too.

We missed the trail with the girls last month and I know they had wanted to do it, but we wanted to head over to Epcot and we ended up leaving (and as crowded as Epcot was, we should have stayed at AK).

What is in the Lost on Safari besides the juice? We had a drink there last month and I had their Pina Colada...but it was made with a different kind of rum....but it was very, very yummy (I could have had two ).

[eandesmom]

Nick did good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lily is so stinkin cute.

on Denny not loving his LOS but drinking one quickly could oh...disable one for a bit. As much the sugar in the juice as the alcohol for me!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Hahaha I can never get a good shot of the lion either! I either get a barely noticable patch of fur along the ground or a butt.

Your safari pics are great! I love that the rhino was just meandering along in your path! That's so funny when the animals do that.

How convenient that you were thirsty right around Dawa Bar.... I completely forgot to suggest to DBF to try the Lost on Safari. He LOVES that juice!

[MEK]

Originally Posted by KatMark

Oh my....I just loved this update. What great shots you got on safari (love the baby elephants) and you saw the cheetah and got a picture of him (her) too.

Thank you for pointing out that that big cat is a cheetah, not a leopard. I guess a cheetah has smaller spots? The baby elephants were super cool and they were quite a variety of sizes! It was Nick who found all these great animals! It was nice to relax while he was taking the pictures.

Originally Posted by KatMark

We missed the trail with the girls last month and I know they had wanted to do it, but we wanted to head over to Epcot and we ended up leaving (and as crowded as Epcot was, we should have stayed at AK).

It's so hard on a short trip to get everything in, isn't it? I am glad we decided to make a full day of AK. We spent way more time viewing animals then we ever had. It was great!

Originally Posted by KatMark

What is in the Lost on Safari besides the juice? We had a drink there last month and I had their Pina Colada...but it was made with a different kind of rum....but it was very, very yummy (I could have had two ).

It is pangani juice. Wait here's a description I found

Lost On Safari
Lost On Safari (right) held it's own next to the margarita. The Pagani Punch consists of pineapple, orange, cranberry and strawberry juice. Mix that with Captain Spiced rum and that is one sharp tropical drink. Typical tropical drinks don't include strawberry juice, so that added a fresh, tart taste alongside the spiced rum. If you enjoy a simple rum & fruit juice drink, give this a try for a little more zip to the flavor.

I think it actually had light rum and Captain Morgan's in it.

Here's a great website I found this morning that had great drink descriptions and reviews:

http://www.partythroughtheparks.com/...photo-gallery/

This is a great website. I wonder if they have an iphone app?????

You should like this. Here's a recipe for a GGS

http://www.partythroughtheparks.com/...10/france.html

Originally Posted by eandesmom

Nick did good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Didn't he? I am so glad I released control and let him take pictures. When he was younger he always liked taking pictures on the safari and would beg for the camera.

This year he dropped French 4 to take the yearbook class so he gets to take pictures and design yearbook pages. It's pretty cool to see his designs and computer work.

Originally Posted by eandesmom

Lily is so stinkin cute.

I love Lily. I hope she always stay little!

Originally Posted by eandesmom

on Denny not loving his LOS but drinking one quickly could oh...disable one for a bit. As much the sugar in the juice as the alcohol for me!

I'm so glad we had no immediate plans so I could just sit and chill. I was so disabled I didn't even get up and dance with the African dancers!

Originally Posted by Stringbean&Wingnut

Hahaha I can never get a good shot of the lion either! I either get a barely noticable patch of fur along the ground or a butt.

That sounds about right - I usually get a little patch of fur. I would love to just ONCE get the whole lion. If I ever do I am going to use it as my screen saver for life! I think Glenn has a really good lion picture. I am so jealous.

Originally Posted by Stringbean&Wingnut

Your safari pics are great! I love that the rhino was just meandering along in your path! That's so funny when the animals do that.

Nick took all the safari pictures and I think he did a great job! The rhino incident was pretty cool. What would they do if he just refused to move???? That would be crazy!

Originally Posted by Stringbean&Wingnut

How convenient that you were thirsty right around Dawa Bar.... I completely forgot to suggest to DBF to try the Lost on Safari. He LOVES that juice!

Very convenient, I would say! I have always wanted to try a LOS, but I am never over there in the afternoon. I finally go my chance. It's yummy because you really don't taste the alcohol! Not sure if that's good or bad!

[teekathepony]

Awesome safari pics (and commentary!)
I can't believe the hippo was actually swimming. I've never seen them move. I usually spend forever staring into that pool at the fish though, I have many of those guys in my tank here at home so it's fun to pick out the different species.
Lily is sooooooo cute!!!

[MEK]

Originally Posted by teekathepony

Awesome safari pics (and commentary!)
I can't believe the hippo was actually swimming. I've never seen them move. I usually spend forever staring into that pool at the fish though, I have many of those guys in my tank here at home so it's fun to pick out the different species.
Lily is sooooooo cute!!!

Thanks, especially coming from you since you take fabulous pictures and actually know what you are doing!

That hippo swimming was actually one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I had no idea they could move that fast. He was really booking. I took a bunch of pics that didn't come out because I kept missing him.

I would love to have a real fish tank. I do have a freshwater tank - with one 4 1/2 year old goldfish. I'm going to cry when he dies! One of Nick's friends threw in a 1/2 can of fish food and almost assassinated him. I had no idea why there was suddenly this big bacteria bloom in the tank and it took a lot of maintenance to get that tank back to normal. I'd like to add a couple more fish but don't want another to throw him off kilter. Someday I experiment with other fish and perhaps a larger tank.

I Lilly!

[dawnbu40]

Nick did a nice job with the safari pics

Lily is so cute! We've never seen her so I hope we catch a glimpse of her on our trip

Sounds like you were having a great day!

[teekathepony]

Originally Posted by MEK

I would love to have a real fish tank. I do have a freshwater tank - with one 4 1/2 year old goldfish. I'm going to cry when he dies! One of Nick's friends threw in a 1/2 can of fish food and almost assassinated him. I had no idea why there was suddenly this big bacteria bloom in the tank and it took a lot of maintenance to get that tank back to normal. I'd like to add a couple more fish but don't want another to throw him off kilter. Someday I experiment with other fish and perhaps a larger tank.

Those fish in with the hippos are called African cichlids and they're surprisingly easy to keep, if you get a good mix! They're freshwater and tropical. Pretty neat, I have some (google Ps. Acei "Tanzania Black") I call my purple puppies, they act like puppies and will chase me around the tank and jump out of the water for food, nibble my hands when I'm doing maintenance. They just had 17 babies too
Goldfish can have a really long life span I think, like 10-15 years! They're so hardy too, and can deal with bacteria blooms (and the preceding ammonia spike!) better than some fish.

Anyway, I'm finished hijacking your thread now!

[mickeystoontown]

Tell Nick that he did a great job on the safari pics! I love it when you go on the safari and there are lots of animals roaming around. Oh and don't feel bad about not getting a good lion or lioness picture. I haven't gotten one yet.

Awww, you got to see Lily! Apparently, on our last trip, she wasn't out and about so we didn't get to see her. She looks so cute!