Day One continued
Following our oh-so-yummy lunch, we made to depart the MK and check out our home for the night – Animal Kingdom Lodge.
That’s right. Only half a day at the MK. No, I’m not necessarily “kindler”, nor yet am I “gentler” – I just have a keen interest in keeping the peace. And half a day at MK, followed by half a day swimming and looking at animals, keeps Leo and Gramma happy, thereby making V happy. See how nicely that works out?
So we took the bus back and went straight to the car for our overnight bags.
Why oh why didn’t I valet park and/or use bell services?
Because I’m cheap. And.
I honestly had no idea how much STUFF we’d have to haul. Across the parking lot. Through the portico. Around the lobby. Up the elevator. And ¾ of the way down Giraffe Trail.
Just how much stuff was there?! I don’t really recall. Maybe I blocked it from my memory. But I do know this. One of the bags, (which may or may not have been V’s, TFI), contained an 8lb dumbbell.
I’ll say that again: an 8lb dumbbell.
For strength training.
At Disney.
Uh-huh.
I strength-trained that baby all the way into and out of the AKL, into CSR the next day, and never touched it again till we left.
Which might have something to do with the 5 pounds I gained this trip. Ulp.
Anyway, we found our room and got changed into swimsuits right quick. It was a nice warm day and we were ready to get some swimming on!
Remember Leo, the boy who sinks like a stone? He got one of these:
For to keep him afloat.
He also got one of these:
A little non-alcoholic green apple slush to quench his thirst.
Notice, also, that the life-vest is gone. The boy likes his Nemos.
Gramma and Leo got right in and splashed around while Felicia and I settled down with a frosty Pina Colava and some light reading.
Drink Report 1
Do not, I repeat…. DO NOT bother with this lame-o drink! Or, at least ask for some ALCOHOL if you decide to give it a try. ‘Cause mine had none. Zero. Zip. Nada. Despite the description, which included the word “rum”. And V’s vacation doesn’t really start till I’ve had that first adult beverage.
Pool Report 1
A while back,
Disneyland_Mama and I had a discussion about the AKL pool. Her husband was nervous about the look of the water and I totally understood where he was coming from.
Guess what DLM? It looks the same in person. Yeah, I
knew it was some of Orlando’s best, loaded down with additional chemicals to keep us all squeaky-clean. But I
felt like a hippo might rise up out of the murky depths at any moment. The large guy in a Speedo next to us may have added to the ambience.
All told, it was a fun pool. Leo did take a turn on the slide. Just once. That was enough for him. And. So did I. Just once. Too slow for moi.
We dried off on the sidelines before heading back upstairs to clean up and dress for dinner at….
Boma!
We ate at Boma first this past December, after reading many, many glowing reviews on the DIS. We were not disappointed.
But I’m always leery of re-visiting a place that’s been really good to us. They just never seem to measure up the second time around.
I’m happy to report that was NOT the case with Boma!
Dining Review 2
The first thing that went well this time was our ADR time – 5:30pm. Last time, we were seated when the place opened – along with every other table in the joint. Which meant that we were all on the same buffet cycle and humongous lines developed.
Not so at 5:30. By the time we were ready to feast, everyone was pretty well staggered and I never had more than 2 people ahead of me at any pod.
Everything was delicious – just as delicious as the first time!
Round 1: Prime Rib, a saffron rice dish, black-eyed peas (no, Fergie was not in the house), some kind of pan bread, Potatoes with Afritude, and Bobotie. Behind that is the most amazing soup ever – and I can’t remember what it was! Butternut squash? Pumpkin? Anyway, it was curried and creamed and it was so RICH. A couple spoonfuls was plenty.
And, you’ll notice, my vacation finally began properly… with a Safaritini. Or was it Afripolitan? Who cares – it had vodka, cranberry and just the right splash of triple sec. I was on vacation at last!!!
On to Round 2:
Salmon, couscous, Fufu, roasted vegetables, and falafel.
Sidenote: A long time ago, I was a Deadhead. The real deal; I spent a summer of college following the Grateful Dead around the country on their summer tour. It was during that summer that I became addicted to falafels. See, Deadheads got to the parking lot of a show early in the morning and hung out there all day till the concert started. People had to eat, right? And a lucrative little food-on-the-go industry popped up in each parking lot. Now, there aren’t too many things you can make that fit the criteria of fast & easy preparation; vegetarian; non-perishable ingredients; and cheap. Falafels fit the bill on all accounts! Just add water to the mix, shape the paste into little balls, fry ‘em up on a camp stove, and load ‘em into a pita with lettuce and tomato. And. They’re mighty tasty. Not just in a parking lot, either, TFI. After my first try of the wonder and beauty that is a falafel, I was forever hooked. I’m guessing I ate about 40 pounds’ worth that summer. Give or take an ounce.
Funny, looking at the pics, it doesn’t seem like that much food. But I was approaching full and wanted to save room for everyone’s favorite….
Bread Pudding!!!
What – were you expecting something else?
Oh, all right, and ZEBRA DOMES, too. Not my fave, but a very close second.
Boma, once again, received a standing ovation from Gramma and me. Leo also enjoyed his spaghetti & meatballs and chicken tenders, so I’ll give a thumb’s up from him too.
We all left feeling rather like lions stuffed to the ears with wildebeest and set out to check out the wildlife, without looking at them as potential food.
We saw this guy:
And this one, too:
And this terror-inducing reptile:
Heh, heh, heh.
I also took some time – as I’d promised myself – to take some quality resort shots:
And Leo settled in for a nice chat with one of the CM animal experts. I’m proud to say he wowed the nice lady with his knowledge of African fauna!
Sidenote: When Leo started Pre-K last fall, they were studying about the Arctic. During circle-time, the kids were asked to name Arctic animals. The teacher said she heard the expected “Polar bears”, “penguins” and “seals”. But Leo… Leo busted out with “Caribou”. That’s my kid!
Okay, after a quick romp around the playground for Leo, we all headed back to our room. I had hoped to sneak back down to Victoria Falls lounge for a little reading and a night-cap, but I was too darned tired. Maybe next time.
We needed our beauty sleep, because the next day holds some BIG excitement!
Next: Meetings, meetings and more meetings!
D'oh! I jumped over here all willy nilly, hoping for an update!! 
Carp! Let's see.... lunch eh? Your lunch is within the hour, right? Ok, I'll go and hit the treadmill and .... 
It sounds like our musical history is very similar. I was cured by working a Dead show one summer. I was able to see just how silly the crowd looked, and I was done. Finished. Over. 
Hope you didn't lose your lunch!!! 
I def plan to give Boma another try tho! How was staying at AKL? I think we are going to try and spend 2 nights at the end of our trip there...but thats a trip to plan at a later date. Anywho...great installment. 
